Friends with Benefits Review

Friends with Benefits has been teased and probably rightfully so for looking and sounding an awful lot like a recent film with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher called No Strings Attached. Both films are R-rated, raunchy, and ask the question: can men and women partake in a strictly sexual relationship? While the premise is essentially the same, these are two very different flicks at the end of the day. The only thing they have in common is that they are both pretty good romantic comedies. In today’s day and age, that’s quite a feat. The film, directed by Easy A’s Will Gluck, is full of pop culture references, songs, and situations. It also has a keen eye for romantic comedies and has seen them before and knows how they work and operate.

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake star in this flick as two young good looking people who have horrible luck in relationships. They decide to retire from dating and strictly focus on their careers. Of course, they have needs, just like any other man and woman do, and decide to have a relationship that is all about sex, nothing more. They will have no emotional connection to each other or do any of the usual relationship habits. They just have sex, hang out, and have fun. Of course, being friends with benefits is easier said than done. What happens when one person gets too attached? How do you act and what are the rules?

Besides Kunis and Timberlake, actors Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Patricia Clarkson, and Woody Harrelson lend their considerable talents to this project.  It’s a great ensemble cast, much like Gluck’s Easy A had. Gluck has a certain style, and both Easy A and Friends with Benefits have his stamp all over them. They are fast paced, witty, sweet, and also raunchy when the time calls for it. He makes films that are accessible to young teens and young adults. With all that being said, this film lies on the shoulders of Timberlake and Kunis. They have incredible chemistry together on screen, and they are the reason that the film works as well as it does. Timberlake is slowly but surely growing on me. This is probably one of his best performances I’ve seen. It’s much better than his work in the dreadful, Bad Teacher.

The sex scenes are also awkward, in a good way, comical, and oddly honest. The film also reveals a heart in the third act that adds a nice little touch to the proceedings.  Because this movie has seen other romantic comedies, it has some good lighthearted fun with its premise, especially the ending involving a flash mob. These characters are not just friends with benefits, they are best friends that are relying on each other and understand who they really are. In a romantic comedy, you want to care about the characters and root for them to end up together before the credits roll.  Friends with Benefits accomplishes that and then some. Will Gluck is making some very interesting films that are going to be remembered in the same breath as the films of John Hughes from the 1980’s.

Grade: B+

How should you see it? On the big screen

Bad Teacher Review

If you have seen the trailer for Bad Teacher, you have seen most if not all of the funny parts of the film. We have the dodge ball scene, the Jordan/LeBron argument between the gym teacher and the student, and of course some of the more humorous lines. At the end of the day, this film is all about the shock value of seeing Cameron Diaz behave badly as a self-centered and sex crazed teacher.  That’s it.  There is no real plot or conflict here, whatsoever.  Because of this, the film runs a little long in the tooth, even at 92 minutes.

Our anti-hero in this film is Elizabeth Halsey, played by Cameron Diaz.  She’s rude, crude, and selfish to the bone.  After her sugar daddy realizes that she only loves him for his money, he promptly dumps her, with the help of his mother.  This forces Elizabeth to return to her job as a teacher, where she is known for going on autopilot and drinking the day away while putting on movies to distract her students.  Her new goal is simple: to raise enough money to get breast implants.  Yes, that’s the “conflict,” if you will.  While teaching at this school, she befriends a likable gym teacher played by the always funny Jason Segel and a nerdy substitute teacher played by Justin Timberlake. 

The principal at this school is played by John Michael Higgins in an interesting turn as a clueless dolphin lover.  The real star in this movie, however, is Lucy Punch, who plays Amy Squirrel. She brings a crazy energy to what could have been a simple role: the goody two shoes teacher.  She hams it up and brings new life to this otherwise thankless role. Every time she was on screen, she produced genuine laughs with her willingness to commit to the role.  Phyllis Smith from the Office, Molly Shannon, and Thomas Lennon round out a solid supporting cast of characters.  Sadly, the screenplay doesn’t give them anything funny to say or anything funny to do.  The film is a series of random scenes that begin and end with no real rhyme or reason.

At the end of the day, Bad Teacher is not a bad movie.  It’s an uninspired movie that never really puts the pedal to the metal and takes off.  It lingers around, producing laughs every ten to fifteen minutes, but not nearly enough to keep your interest.  When the movie ends, it sort of erases from your memory instantly.  Nothing memorable really occurred, but you can’t say you hated it, either. 

I’ve never been a big Cameron Diaz fan, and this film did little to change my mind.  Yes, she’s saying some vulgar and off color remarks, but I didn’t feel like it was something her character would have said.  It felt like the screenplay just put them in there to gain a forced laugh. Timberlake is forgettable as the nerdy sub.  He’s just there because he’s Justin Timberlake.  Jason Segel made me smile every time he was on screen, and I wish he had a bigger role because he’s effortless with his comedy.  Actually, I would have loved to have seen a movie with just Jason Segel and Lucy Punch.  Their characters and their brand of comedy would have made an interesting movie.

Grade: C+

How should you see it? Rent it.