In yet another mind-numbingly silly (if mildly amusing) rom-com, Justin Timberlake plays Dylan, a hotshot newly arrived in New York from LA for an interview for a GQ art director post that his buddy Jamie (Mila Kunis) arranged for him. They’re both A-type personalities looking out for their own interests (Jamie wants her headhunter’s commission; Dylan’s in New York to “explore his options”). But they also have great chemistry. When you’re as hot as Kunis and Timberlake, it’s not hard to find people to have sex with. But neither of them has been able to find the stimulating, commitment-free set-up they’re after. Coupled with hang-ups from their respective parents’ failed relationships, they decide that since they both want and don’t want the same things, their friendship won’t be jeopardized if they engage in casual coitus together.
Despite the blatant self-interest that gives rise to such an arrangement, it’s obvious early on that the two actually care about pleasing each other. Indeed, it isn’t long before the anti-romantic-comedy raunch gives way to a predictable romantic ending. This one’s another formulaic rom-com for the ladies, perpetuating the fairy tale that sex won’t spoil a friendship, and hey, perhaps could lead to something even more fulfilling.
Kunis is excellent as the smooth, street-savvy and sharp-witted Jamie, and she acts out Jamie’s mind-f**k scenes and neuroses with hilarious finesse. She certainly eclipses Timberlake’s portrayal of Dylan who, while delivering some class one-liners, comes across as little more than a pretty boy, sometimes suave but more often awkward. The guy does a fun Kriss Kross impersonation in the second half, but you can’t help thinking that if all he brings to the table is the same song and dance act he peddled in his music career, maybe he’s just not moviestar material after all.
