'Friends With Benefits'

'Friends  With Benefits' (R)  (3 stars)

Writers: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman and Will Gluck
Director: Will Gluck
Starring: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg

"Friends With Benefits" is a nice movie and that surprised me. When I usually call a movie nice it is not a compliment but in this case it is the movie's strength. The movie succeeds mostly on the good will and likability of it's two leads Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Timberlake has become a comedy icon much to everyone's surprise with his wonderful appearances on "Saturday Night Live". Mila Kunis has lately become America's sweetheart much the same way that Julia Roberts was.

Timberlake proved he could really act in last year's best movie "The Social Network". Kunis held her own with the great Natalie Portman in last year's delightful thriller "Black Swan". In "Friends With Benefits" both prove they could do comedy just as well as drama. Both are extremely likable and what I loved most was the way they bounce lines off each other. They have such a winning and easy chemistry together. You want them to become a couple and for their relationship to last because you like them and believe they would be great together.

"Friends With Benefits" tells a story that was already told earlier this year with "No Strings Attached". That movie starred Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher as friends who don't want to commit to each other so they decide just to have sex. The earlier movie had a miscast Natalie Portman whose chemistry with Kutcher was terrible. Justin Timberlake is a much better actor than Kutcher and he just feels natural next to Kunis who is extremely adorable and sexy at the same time. "Friends With Benefits" has a better story and a much better cast. It tells the same kind of story about a couple, Dylan and Jamie, who meet through work, start to like each other but decide to just have sex because they don't have time for the emotional baggage that a relationship requires.

The supporting cast is also fun and likable including a very funny, small appearance by Woody Harrelson who now can start a wonderful career as a character actor. He plays a gay sportscaster and Harrelson fleshes out the role and has some classic lines that he delivers with cheer and energy. I also
loved seeing Jenna Elfman on the big screen. She is also likable and sweet as Dylan's sister and you feel that they are really family. There is also another solid performance by the best character actor in film these days Richard Jenkins. He plays Dylan's father who is in the early stages of Alzheimers and the movie starts to get a little serious. This subplot could have been maudlin and could have killed the movie's romantic momentum but thanks to the great Richard Jenkins I cared.

I expected "Friends With Benefits" to be a little raunchy and it has it's dirty moments but the movie is actually nice and light. It doesn't hit you over the head with bad romantic comedy cliches and bad, obvious jokes. It settles down and tells a story and it makes us care about Dylan and Jamie and all the people in their life. Timberlake and Kunis are extremely likable and the whole cast is engaging. You do know where the movie is heading and it is not a surprise but I didn't care. I had a good time and I was happy that I saw two very likable actors win me over. I wanted Dylan and Jamie to figure things out and I want Timberlake and Kunis to have very successful careers because they deserve it.