Confession time: I love Justin Timberlake. Not his music career, mind you -- though who doesn't love a little "Rock Your Body" every once in a while -- but his acting one. You can grumble that he jumped the shark with endless appearances on SNL and his performance as himself -- er, Sean Parker in The Social Network, but for my money, Timberlake constantly hits it out of the park. He even makes something as disposable as Bad Teacher look moderately watchable in a "Let's wait to see it on a Wednesday night on HBO2!" sort of way. All of which is a long way around saying that his presence in Friends with Benefits is key to making this summer rom-com look positively charming.
Timberlake and Mila Kunis star as recently dumped besties (by Emma Stone and Andy Samberg in cameos, respectively), who decide to embark on a "friends with benefits" relationship similar to the one you saw Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman dive into in No Strings Attached. The difference? At least in the trailer, the characters portrayed by Timberlake and Kunis appear to be best friends; in No Strings Attached, Kutcher and Portman were more like "passing acquaintances." That Benefits also looks much funnier -- Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson and Jenna Elfman, FTW! -- and was directed by Will Gluck (Easy A) instead of a fossil like Ivan Reitman are also to its advantage. Plus, JT sings along with Kris Kross, and Kunis tells off Katherine Heigl. Sleeper rom-com hit of the summer?
VERDICT: Sold!
[via /Film]