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"  &amp;quot;Do you know how hard it is to pee with a hard-on?&amp;quot; Your reaction to the above line of dialogue, uttered mid-urination by Justin Timberlake&amp;#039;s lothario in Friends with Benefits, will probably determine whether this latest entry in the burgeoning &amp;#039;f**k buddy&amp;#039; romcom sub-genre is to your taste. Fortunately, this movie reviewer wallows in such crude erectile-themed observations. Will Gluck&amp;#039;s movie is packed full of smutty delights, expounded by the amiable central couple of Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who discover that platonic pounding is not all it&amp;#039;s cracked up to be. Following a similar emotional trajectory to the marginally superior No Strings Attached, Friends with Benefits throws magazine art director Dylan (Timberlake) together with headhunter Jamie (Kunis) in New York after she taps him up for a job at GQ. Both have previously endured perilous romantic fortunes and after striking up a friendship, they agree to embark on a sexual relationship free of emotions. Unsurprisingly, some obstacles enter the fray and cause major conflict between the pair - although not before a refreshing range of cunnilingual jokes have been reeled off. The movie subsequently shifts tone as Dylan&amp;#039;s Alzheimer&amp;#039;s suffering father (the ever genial Richard Jenkins) comes to the fore. But can the relationship between Dylan and Jamie be sorted out before it deteriorates beyond repair? Despite procuring plenty of guffaws with sharp dialogue and hilarious bedroom mishaps, the plot of Friends with Benefits lacks the ability to grip the audience sufficiently. This is largely because of the formulaic constraints of the romcom genre, which dictate that almost every plot element unravels in a predictable manner. To be fair, the script regularly acknowledges the tropes of the romcom genre via the metatextual deployment of a &amp;#039;movie within a movie&amp;#039; that the characters watch and comment upon. Yet one has the feeling that the writers ultimately lacked the conviction to take a bold and daring approach with the narrative, in case it jeopardises the crowdpleasing intent of the conventional romcom - which this movie very much is, just with added anal fingering gags. Nonetheless, a romcom&amp;#039;s fate is largely dependent on being convincingly cast. Kunis and Timberlake exude a natural chemistry as the smashing leads, ensuring that most viewers will be rooting for them to make the transition from friends to lovers. There is a wonderful supporting turn from Woody Harrelson as a self-proclaimed penis-hungry employee at GQ, who embodies the disarming warmth that the actor exuded in Cheers. There&amp;#039;s also the added bonus that the White Men Can&amp;#039;t Jump star makes a welcome return to the basketball court! That just about compensates for the frequent use of the song &amp;#039;Jump&amp;#039; by Kris Kross (those sprogs from the early &amp;#039;90s who started a trend for wearing low-hung jeans - ugh!). Entertaining enough, and boasting highly appealing performances from its stars, Friends with Benefits ultimately lacks the storytelling and structural innovation required to make it stand out from the crowd - but provides enough disposable and dirty fun to make it a worthwhile venture.       "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a338211/friends-with-benefits-review/>