Friends with Benefits

Look at that poster and the name of the film and does any adult imagine that Friends with Benefits is anything other than a 'boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy regains girl' scenario? The same scenario that has formed the plot of countless films whether they be dramas or romantic comedies? If you have been raised in a jungle isolated from what passes as modern 'civilisation' then this plot may come as a surprise but I doubt that applies to anyone reading this blog.

Incomprehensibly (to me) a reviewer in Sydney's leading newspaper describes this film as fresh and inverting all the cliches. Inverting? Really? All I can say is those cliches must have been inverted so far they have ended up back in place.

I won't provide my usual brief synopsis, as the poster and title tell you all you need to know before you even set foot in a cinema.

What you will find if you spend the $15 plus (full price) or in my case $8 (seniors' price) on viewing this film at a cinema is that it is very 2011. It takes in many of the hip (if that is the current word) trends a la mode.

Let's tick some of them off;

Flashmobs (twice)
Hip hop songs and dances (multiple)
Swearing on a iPad bible (advertising opportunity)
Parent with Alzheimers (very in, I think)
Characters who blog (wow I must be hip too!)

In addition for those who like that sort of thing - are you pointing at me!? - you also get multiple full on views of Justin Timberlake's bare arse; which I have to admit is not without it's charms. And by way of adult sophistication(?) throw in a scene where Timberlake demonstrates how difficult it is for a male to urinate with a raging erection. Yes, really!

To top of it off, Woody Harrelson has a supporting role as a gay sports editor, which is either a piece of brilliant casting against type or a monumental example of miscasting. I'm sure it was meant to be the former but in my view the way Harrelson performs it comes across very much as the latter. Although come to think of it, I have to concede on this point at least, the cliche was inverted.

On the plus side, the film has a very glossy and modern look.