hopscotchee: richard jenkins score: 57 rating: R time: 109 minutes
friends with benefits is not one of your typical, current day, one-person's-terminally-ill-it-will-never-happen romance movie, you are not going to be depressed or heartbroken afterwards, which with all the dumpy doos of 2020, we bet everyone's totally over. lucky for us, this is a solid rom com - definitely a must watch and should be on every romantic movie fanatic's watchlist.
now, yes, there were some inconsistent cuts and stretches made. for example, (spoiler) being able to talk across an airport with blaring music and people around, or falling asleep/waking up with perfect makeup. however, this movie was released in 2011, so going into it, you have have that mindset and know that these unrealistic scenarios kinda just add to the good nostalgia of the time.
the movie had a clever concept that justin and mila pulled off and strengthened with both of their lovable charisma. you definitely shipped them, and because they were friends first, you were more attached and invested in their relationship, hoping that it would become something more without complicating and damaging their friendship. and by spicey-ing up the plot with problems created by emerging characters such as parker (brian we are big fans) and dylan's family - enter richard jenkins - this took a basic (spoiler) friends-to-lovers movie, and made it into one that could not be glossed over.
another perk of this movie, were the adorable and romantic gestures, that even if you hate rom coms, this one might just slip pass your radar. every romantic comedy has them, but these were definitely the highlight of the film. like, (spoiler) when dylan sings kriss kross to jamie in the bedroom, sharing an embarrassing moment of his childhood, this only further heightens their core friendship as well as just being freakin' enjoyable in the film. however through the lightheartedness of the movie, it maintains the personal struggles of the characters, which people can relate to, and only makes dylan wand jamie's relationship sweeter. because at the end of the day, they're friends, and will always be there for each other.
all in all, this movie, though lacking in some technical areas, is just cute from beginning to end. if you have been stuck at home, unable to find any great movies or shows to watch, and are needing something fun, go watch friends with benefits.
-- thanks, richard xo