While trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan and Jamie soon discover however that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.
For all its dirty talk and supposed frankness about sex, Friends with Benefits has little in the way of laughs, romance or truth; it’s just as bland a confection as the vanilla rom-coms it apes.
Sexy, fun and full of quotable zingers, if you see only one casual-sex-com featuring a Black Swan alumni this year, make sure it’s this one.
This coasts along just fine thanks to charm and comical interludes, but it fails to deliver the sassy story it promises. Fine for a romantic comedy, but an inferior follow up to director Gluck’s edgier Easy A.
Ultimately, it's as conventional as the romantic-comedies it mocks. Still, fans of the stars should get satisfaction.
Still, if you overlook these missteps, Friends With Benefits has some genuine pleasures to offer.
Consider our faith in Hollywood romance restored. For now.
Really: no benefits to watching this.
It adheres strictly to the rom-com template, even though it tries to have a pop at that very thing, and though not especially objectionable or misguided, it is sluggish and drags out a limited premise with an awful lot of dead space and irrelevance just to get to the starting point.
Insufferable romcom.
The reality is that despite casual sex and frank conversations about favourite positions, here's yet another tired and deeply formulaic film.
It's this lack of surprise and its staunch adherence to the rule book it so desperately wants to show it has thrown out that makes this outing little benefit to the genre.
Amusing support from Patricia Clarkson as Jamie's slattern mother helps keep it afloat, but it's not really enough.
It's smart, sexy and moderately amusing.
Its frankness about sex makes it earthier than most rom-coms, but in other respects Friends with Benefits is as contrived as anything that Kate Hudson has subjected us to.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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