MYST POST #1: Friends With Benefits

So for this review I stepped out of my comfort zone a little, into a genre I don't really meddle with all too often, and I saw Friends With Benefits.  This Will Gluck production features the stunning Mila Kunis and the not too shabby Justin Timberlake in a "ROM-COM" gone pretty dirty.  I have to confess I'd wanted to see this film since the trailer previewed early 2011 featuring this happy-go-lucky, sex dominated relationship and let's face it what teenage boy isn't slightly attracted to Mila Kunis?  Yes, the movie is extremely cliche and at times predictable, but Gluck deserves some recognition for a follow-up to Easy-A, a movie that I really enjoyed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFP7ibrgQcE (Starts @ 0:09)

I was pleasantly surprised at how dynamic Friends With Benefits could be at times, mixing in a lot of different stylistic aspects that you don't necessarily associate with these typical money-making productions.  The scene I linked above is actually my favorite scene, and also the opening scene which I found a little ironic.  Part of what made it such an interesting opening scene is that it brings in Andy Samberg and Emma Stone, but you don't end up seeing those characters ever again in the rest of the film.  If you look at the history behind this, Gluck featured Stone in Easy-A, what critics claim to be one of her best movies, so it's interesting to see the parallels.

If we take a step back and look at the scene from a visual literacy aspect there's a lot of things to be impressed with.  For starters, Gluck takes an interesting stab at some sort of parallelism while showing one quick scene of Kunis and then cutting straight to Timberlake, it's as if he wants the audience to see the foreshadowing of both protagonist losing their relationships and how lame the reasoning is for it...  From a camera point of view, there's a lot of over-the-shoulder shots as well as a quick revert to a close up on the characters face to show the disappointment and confusion at the situation, it's done really well.  I like the usage of negative space, it's not overdone, but it's helpful when the camera zooms out and shows the characters in the street, it helps build the tension more.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't attached to my couch while watching Friends With Benefits, and at times I found myself rooting for Justin to go save his relationship but like all other films, there's definitely room for improvement.  Gluck has impressed me with 2 movies in a row now, and Justin Timberlake has gained my blessings with his performance in this picture and overall I think IMDb does this movie injustice by rating it at a 6.6.  In my opinion, this movie is a 7.5 and I would recommend it to anyone looking to relax and watch a genuinely funny movie.