FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

When your movie is blessed with the kind of winning chemistry that’s on display between Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, does anything else about it really matter?

Both stars are ridiculously charming in this admittedly formulaic but altogether enjoyable – and, dare I say it?, heartwarming – romantic comedy from director Will Gluck (Easy A). Sure, anyone with half a brain can telegraph the entire story arc pretty much from the get-go, but the movie – like life – is more about the journey than the destination.

And, in this case, the journey is smart, sexy and fun. Dylan (Timberlake) is an art director head-hunted for GQ by Jamie (Mila Kunis). When they meet, the electricity is palpable and the connection is immediate. Both newly single, they begin hanging out and having a good time together after hours. Eventually, the pair decides to take their wildly successful friendship to a no-strings-attached-sex level to satisfy their otherwise neglected urges. They vow that it’s “just sex,” that they will remain friends no matter what happens and that emotion will not play any part in their between-the-sheets escapades.

Raise your hand if you see where this is all going.

I did… but, really, who cares?

Unlike most films in this genre, which are either dumbed-down to sophomoric levels or made to be so crass and crude that they’re borderline offensive, Friends With Benefits boasts a peppy script that prefers raciness over raunch, and treats its characters (and the audience) like intelligent human beings instead of idiots. When people in this movie say or do stupid things, they say or do them for fully believable, understandable, relatable reasons. The laughs aren’t cheap, the feelings feel real and, if (when?) you find yourself tearing up a little, there’s no sense that it’s a result of blatant manipulation on the part of the filmmakers.

Best of all, Friends… is one of those movies that’s so deftly constructed that, despite yourself, every fiber of your being wants these two characters to be together.

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are equally terrific and truly make the movie – she’s like a saucier Sandra Bullock, and he continues to prove himself as a talented actor. Each gets to shine comedically and dramatically, and neither of them ever shows the seams of their performance: the characters never feel like an “act.” Believability is key, and they both knock that trait out of the cinematic ballpark. It doesn’t hurt that they get to play off of gifted supporting actors like Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins and Woody Harrelson, whose gregariously gay sports writer is a refreshing twist on the “token gay guy” character frequently dropped into films such as this. But the biggest scene stealer of all may be carrot-topped snowboarder Shaun White, who takes a huge bite out of two of the film’s most memorable scenes. Who knew?

Though it pretends it’s going to eschew the conventionalities of standard-issue rom-coms, and even goes so far as to have its characters mock the genre outright, Friends With Benefits instead embraces them… but changes things up enough that the result is fresh, funny and filled with heart.