‘Friends’ succeeds where others fail

“Friends With Benefits” is strangely familiar. It seemed like I had seen the movie before.

Well, I sort of have seen it. “No Strings Attached” from earlier this year had basically the same story. But where that film failed to be both funny and interesting, “Friends With Benefits” largely succeeds.

Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis play two ridiculously successful and attractive people — a stretch they pull off. Kunis is a headhunter, who just talked Timberlake into bringing his skills from a successful blog to GQ.

Timberlake and Kunis are both witty and vivacious. They drop quite a few jokes that are funny solely because of how well they’re constructed, not because they are gross or ridiculous.

“No Strings Attached” relied on Ashton Kutcher as a childish fool and Natalie Portman as someone so introverted that she was incapable of being interesting.
“Friends With Benefits” is also interesting in how it addresses gender issues. Mila Kunis is given just as many funny lines as Timberlake. She often gets to do the male-stereotyped behaviors along with him. Perhaps this is a new trend following on the heels of “Bridesmaids.”

Although “Friends With Benefits” manages to be fun and relatively smart, it still has some major failings.

Woody Harrelson is funny as Timberlake’s gay friend, but his character never developed. His only purpose is to continually remind us that he’s gay. Though the film also mostly avoids cheesiness, it occasionally worms its way back in.
Someway, somehow, “Friends With Benefits” avoids the usual failings with this genre.
It’s a worthwhile example of how these romantic comedies can succeed.