I Just Want to Be Friends...With Benefits

The classic relationship I tend to notice in college is the great friends with benefits title. The meaning of friends with benefits are two friends who are physically involved but not emotionally involved. It seems like the perfect solution if you don't want to commit...but it isn't entirely. A lot of times one person develops feelings for the other and then everything turns into a mess. As seen in the movie Friends With Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The movie takes place in New York and Kunis' character is a headhunter who hires Timberlake as an art director for GQ magazine. They are both attracted to each other but do not want a relationship. One night they start talking about sex and relationships; they both agree that sex should not have to come with so many emotional attachments. They begin casually sleeping with each other but remain friends. Things start to get complicated when Timberlake's character starts developing feelings for Kunis' character.


Throughout the film the audience sees a push and pull of the two characters in their feelings towards eachother and the kind of relationship they are looking for. The first lesson the film provides is that every opportunity is once in a lifetime. Timberlake's character was an art director of a small website in Los Angeles when he got the call to interview for a job at GQ in New York. Meeting Mila Kunis' character was also a once in a lifetime situation becuase who stays friends with the headhunter from the company that hired you. All of these once in a lifetime chances should be noticed and you should do something about it. Take the leap into a better job, ask out the person who intrigues you, and live life to the fullest.

Another lesson provided by the film is that being "emotionally damaged/ unavailable" is an excuse not to date and hate on relationships. Everyone comes with emotional damage, has been hurt by other people; honestly it is not a good enough excuse to not believe in relationships. Both characters tend to talk about their respective emotional damage and while the audience is supposed to relate/ feel symptahy is tends to get a bit difficult. Finding a good relationship with someone who just fits with you is amazing and should not be taken for granted.

All in all the film is entertaining and has its sweet moments. It also shows the fairly common outcome of a friends with benefits relationship. However the grand romanctic gesture and then entering into a relatioinship is on the other end of the "common" spectrum. Either way taking opportunities that are presented, living life to the fullest, and appreciating relationships are all important lessons to take away from the film.