‘Friends with Benefits’: walking the tight rope

Timberlake has already proven himself to be an able screen actor through his performances in “The Social Network” and “Bad Teacher.” Kunis has also shown that she is capable of being not only a tough cookie (in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) but also a conniving prima donna (in “Black Swan”).

One might imagine that putting these two young, up-and-coming actors together would make sparks fly in the air for a romantic comedy, but one would be wrong. First, I haven’t been able to decide whether it is Timberlake or Kunis who has the higher-pitched voice or more of a motor mouth in this movie. Secondly, when a screenplay tries to outsmart itself and fails to do so, instead giving in to cliché, not even the most talented actors have the power to save the film. Sure, there are some touching and profound moments in “Friends with Benefits,” but at its heart, this movie is like any other superficial rom-com where we don’t discover anything new about romance, even though it tries to play with the dynamics of the rules of engagement.

Dylan (Timberlake) is a young executive from Los Angeles who gets head hunted by Jamie (Kunis) for the position of art director at GQ magazine’s headquarters in New York. Dylan is not much of a New York guy, but Jamie takes him around to the coolest places in the city (she’s like one of those secret urban guide books which are so fashionable these days) and convinces him that this job is going to make him a much happier person. Dylan does indeed move to New York and the two immediately become friends.

It turns out that both have been through horrible relationships and have sworn off finding a significant other. Dylan is emotionally unavailable and Jamie is emotionally messed up -- so we are told. But they realize there is something missing from their lives. No, it’s not romance; it’s only their physical needs. There’s a very specific name for that, but this film chooses not to utilize it, instead presenting us with a supposedly funny montage of indifferent pillow talk. This isn’t funny, it’s just awkward, since Kunis and Timberlake look like they are trying to be hilarious, as opposed to enjoying the absurdity of these scenes.

Their friendship remains intact until one night when they have a spiritual experience as they look into each other’s eyes. What a revelation! Jamie realizes that she might actually have feelings for Dylan, while Dylan only caves into his emotional ineptitude. Until this moment, the dialogue in the film abundantly and intentionally makes fun of all the other Hollywood banalities; as such, we really expect that this film will be going into new territory. But no, it’s exactly the same formula -- boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy has to get back girl. It takes Dylan’s Alzheimer’s-ridden father (the brilliant Richard Jenkins in a lesser role) to remind him that only love matters. And so you have it, the lovely couple that is not actually a couple must reunite.

Timberlake and Kunis do have their charming moments. Both have intelligent eyes and a way of making themselves affable. However the editing of this film is so insanely rapid that the leads do not get a decent moment of screen time for an emotional reaction shot until the third act. As such we don’t even feel that involved with or even curious about the destiny of these two people.

A burlesque trip to Los Angeles is the most memorable sequence of the film, since this is the only place where the screenwriters allow Dylan and Jamie to have a genuine conversation. Not to mention the contribution of Jenna Elfman as Timberlake’s character’s older sister. She has the film’s most convincing lines, and she delivers them with a combination of humor and grace. One ends up being nostalgic for her “Dharma and Grace,” an atypical romantic comedy TV show that somehow got shown on typical TV.

“Friends with Benefits” ends up providing the conventional, addictive and comforting romantic happy pill we need at the end of the summer. You may even find that you want to marry your own “friend with benefits.” It’s a shame that this film isn’t all it could have been. It promises to be real and truthful, and much like a bad relationship, it fails to keep its promise.

‘Friends with Benefits’

Directed by:

Will Gluck

 Genre: comedy

Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Jenna Elfman, Patricia Clarkson