Neal Vitale Reviews: Friends With Benefits/ Crazy, Stupid, Love
August 01, 2011
3.5 stars out of 5 (both)
At the outset, I have to admit that I struggle with most Romantic Comedies - the formula is cliched and predictable, and the inevitable happy ending is often cloying. Two recent mainstream RomComs, No Strings Attached and Love And Other Drugs, tried to push the boundaries of the genre by adding more nudity and in-your-face sexuality. But, in the end, the success of those films was driven - as it always is - by the appeal and chemistry of the romantic leads and the cleverness of the script. Friends With Benefits and Crazy, Stupid, Love are more of the same.
Friends, from director Will Gluck (Easy A), is almost insufferably current, replete with flash mob sequences and touch-screen credits, but wins with pretty lead actors (Mila Kunis [Black Swan] and Justin Timberlake [The Social Network]) who have nice chemistry, off-beat supporting performances (Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson), fun New York vs. Los Angeles sparring, and snappy, graphic dialogue, mostly about sex. But, alas, it all gets wrapped up far too neatly, skating through a family Alzheimer sub-plot with little more than some amusement about doffing one's pants in public.
Love (from directors Glenn Ficarra & John Requa [I Love You Phillip Morris] and writer Dan Fogelman [mostly family fare like Bolt and Cars/Cars 2], with a focus on divorce and adultery, heads in a slightly different direction. But the naughtiness all proves - as expected - to be unsatisfying and hollow, and wholesome family values are reinforced. What makes Love special is a great, surprising performance by Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine, Lars And The Real Girl) in a funny, ultimately romantic role - a first for him. A sharp script and a few other strong performances offset the flat interaction between miscast leads Steve Carell and Julianne Moore and the absurdly implausible series of coincidences that conclude the film.
Neither Friends With Benefits nor Crazy, Stupid, Love is great, but each has elements that recommend it for casual, undemanding summer viewing - if only for a couple of hours of air-conditioned relief from a steamy July.