While Screen Gems’ latest film ‘Friends With Benefits’ is an all too familiar concept (i.e.: January’s No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher), this tale of two friends who are only interested in maintaining the physical aspect of a relationship does the idea right and has actual laugh-out-loud moments that culminate to a satisfying resolution for it’s two lead characters.

When LA-native Dylan (played by Justin Timberlake) and New York-native Jamie (played by Mila Kunis) both find themselves on the losing end of the relationship game, they find it difficult to fully understand why it is they can’t seem to lockdown love. Dylan is “emotionally unavailable”, Jamie is “emotionally damaged”, and when the two meet after job headhunter Jamie fixes Dylan up with a posh job at GQ magazine, they strike-up a friendship. After realizing they similarly have been unsuccessful in relationships, they vow to stay friends in addition to introducing the sexual aspects of the relationships they don’t have into their lives.

Their friends with benefits arrangement goes smoothly for a while, but Jamie’s longing for the prince-charming type of love portrayed in romantic comedies is something she still wants, and ends her sexual situation with Dylan in pursuit of a charming doctor (played by Bryan Greenberg). When her fairytale dreams of meeting a genuine guy are ultimately crushed, she seeks solace yet again in Dylan, who takes her to Los Angeles to stay with him at his family beach house, as friends. While in LA, the two hook-up again, however this time their boundaries were unclear, as Jamie was hoping Dylan could maybe be the guy to sweep her off her feet and Dylan still thinking they were under the same “friends with benefits” agreement.

When the direction of the relationship becomes blurry, the two effectively cut ties all together and both are left without a relationship and without each other as best friends. As the film reaches its end, the two ultimately realize the error of their ways and agree that being there for each other as best friends is where they should be…for now.

Friends With Benefits overall was a genuine surprise and was full of laughs. While there are some moments where the film falls into the predictable romantic comedy formula, those moments are few and far between the electric chemistry shared by Timberlake and Kunis. Timberlake comes into his own as a believable leading man while Kunis’ trademark sarcasm and sass fits her New York character’s personality perfectly. The film is packed with hilarious cameos by Emma Stone (Easy A, Superbad), Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live), Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother), Rashida Jones (I Love You Man, Parks & Recreation), and Olympic-athlete Shaun White, each of whom in their own way impact Dylan and Jamie’s lives. Patricia Clarkson (Easy A), Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg), Richard Jenkins (Hall Pass), and Woody Harrelson (2012) round out the hilarious cast in what is truly a well-executed, smart, romantic comedy that both men and women will enjoy.

For more about Friends With Benefits, visit the film’s official website. http://www.fwb-movie.com/