Movies.ie

• Critic rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

Being a thoroughly modern couple, Dylan (Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis) reckon they can treat sex “like playing tennis”, and still remain just good friends. Which, unsurprisingly, works extremely well for a short while before, hey, pesky emotions start getting in the way. Along with, despite early claims to the contrary, some very conventional romantic comedy clichés…

THE VERDICT: As with the recent Kutcher and Portman-led No Strings Attached (whose original title was actually Friends With Benefits), here buddies Timberlake and Kunis headline a movie pitching intercourse without intimacy – the idea that smart, hip and independent kids can have their cake and smear it all over one another’s perfect skin, and still be just friends in the morning. A knowing Carry On for the gross-out generation, naturally, as with No Strings Attached, there’s a great big dollop of Oprah by the closing credits. The moral of every Hollywood romance being, you have to have morals when it comes to getting jiggy with someone. Otherwise, whether you’re a man or a woman, you’ll end up looking like Peter Stringfellow. Often hilarious in those early heaving, heathen stages (thanks to Timberlake and Kunis’ undeniable chemistry but also a crack supporting team), by the closing credits, Friends With Benefits has resorted to being just the kind of likeable, cliched date movie that it set out to send-up.

Review by Paul Byrne

• Avg User rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  KennethAndrew

  

  A fun rom-com with serious moments that make for a good watch. It has the funniest sex scene, and humorous observations throughout.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  TheAngelicDiablo

  

  A surprisingly above average by the books rom-com, that while sticking almost entirely to the standardized formula for this kind of thing, manages to use it in new charming ways. With sparkling performances from both Timberlake and Kunis, whether or not their protagonists can stay friends is irrelevant, cause we, the audiences, is benefiting from it anyway.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  elaineg

  

  Funny, if somewhat predictable rom-com starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Very watchable but a tad boring in parts.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  WildRose86

  

  Predictable cute fun. Very much aimed at a digital crowd with iPad2 and flashmobs dancing. Perhaps in twenty years people will be scratching their heads in wonder at what that all means. Timberlake gets a proper leading role, but the material just wasn't there to let him shine through as much as he could while Kunis steals the show by being Kunis. Needed more Rom. A bit more Com wouldn't have hurt either.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  eliza64

  

  A fun movie, nice to see Woody Harreison in good form. The real star is New York it looks great. Thanks to showfilmfirst for the tickets.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Bigeamo

  

  This one starts off looking to fly in the face of the traditional rom-com but eventually falls back on the standard cliches and storylines. It's a good rom-com, but ultimately it is a rom-com and just not as different from all of the others as it pretends to be. That said, easy watching, some funny moments, a bit over-long but better than your average for this kind of movie.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  mell61

  

  I enjoyed this more than i expected. Good chemistry between Kunis and JT (but JT still needs to work on his acting), a rom-com for the hangover generation is probably the better description.

• • Currently 1/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  In acts two and three it becomes more predictable in each of the ideals it berates in act one, and not in a clever or ironic way; Katherine Heigl may as well have taken on the lead role.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  A smart and very enjoyable romcom, which is frequently hilarious and has a strong supporting cast. The two leads are great as well and thankfully there's that magic chemistry between them. It's better than the similar No Strings Attached, which was released earlier this year. Whereas that was mediocre and entirely predictable, Friends With Benefits has the advantage of a sharper script and controlled direction under Will Gluck, who made the superb Easy A last year. Go see.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Ellegibbons

  

  Typical format, I wouldnt call this a ROMCOM, was exactly the same film as No Strings Attached!!! Again the Advertisements show the movie's best bits. On a personal note I prefer One Day for romance and an old fashioned love story. All and all easy watching popcorn film, hot actors, sex scenes, and cheap laughs - Enjoy :)