Friends with Benefits
?Directed by Will Gluck?
?Written by Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, and Will Gluck?
The review:
This film worked for me because I was in the mood, I like both Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake,* and I was amused by the recurring joke.** However, this is one of those romantic comedies written for women by men and I can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been if a member of the audience it is aimed at was part of the team that created it.*** Ultimately, it’s good at what it does,**** but I want more.
The verdict: Good
Cost: Netflix monthly fee $8.99/month
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*Plus ancillary performances by Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, and Patricia Clarkson, also always delightful.
**It has to do with Capitan Sully’s historic landing.
***Or, gosh, all of the people who created it?
****And memorializes the flash mob thing, which is fun.
Questions:
- Do planes more or less land themselves?
- New York or Los Angeles?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
Although Jason Segal and Rashida Jones are technically uncredited in the film, their real names can be seen on the cover of the DVD next to the TV when Dylan and Jamie are watching it.
Other reviews of Friends with Benefits:
- Dana Stevens, Slate
- Kimberly Jones, Austin Chronicle
