Friends (With Benefits) (2010)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Waste of time

Best movie of this year hands down!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I stumbled upon Friends by accident while looking for the episodic Friends With Bennefits which is shooting here in LA. This is a movie that you have to watch many times, each time you pick up a little something more. The style is a breath of fresh air. The actors are simply on top of their game. What wonderful characters they created. I'm amazed that they haven't been discovered, so to speak. Great story line. Being of the "woodstock generation" myself, Friends With B offers a look at this generation of under 30 young people which I now call the "Friends With Benefits Generation". Excellent directing, excellent acting, and very excellent photography(great DP) excellent sets, and extremely excellent lighting. Very tastefully shot passion scenes. This is a sleeper. But a smart move making it available for free on IMDb. It will surely give these young actors a lot of exposure.Mike Agresta Burbank, CA

I've seen this film at least four times now and even started working with director Gorman Bechard because of it. I've enjoyed it each and every time, each in very different places and frames of mind. I've seen it in a bar, in a theater and in my home. I've seen it at a very high point in life and a very low point in my life. The story, acting and overall frame of mind the film evokes always makes me feel great and walk away impressed. The acting is for the most part excellent, the dialog is organic and flows between the very believable characters. Cinematography is quite lush and well though out, the colors and lighting always seem to pop and even in the much more difficult outdoor shots, it just works. The sound is totally solid throughout, always a killer on indie features. Everything is completely crisp and makes the piece work as a whole.

F(WB) is a fun and quirky look at the (somewhat convoluted) personal lives of six twenty-somethings who decide its time to experiment with some "non-traditional" relationships. The writing is hysterical and will remind those of us who are no longer in our twenties of those heady days of hook-ups and romantic misunderstandings. And it doesn't shy away from the raunch. The cast is outstanding. The crisp, witty dialogue (which sounds almost Tarantino-esquire in its funny, gritty realism) is delivered at a clip that grabs and holds the viewer's attention throughout. I didn't notice the time passing while watching this movie. This movie's not for kids, and I mean that in a good way. I'd love to have a beer with Alison.

I was able to watch a copy of this movie the other night that a friend of Mr. Bechard let me borrow, and the first word that comes to mind is "surprising". Surprisingly funny, surprisingly touching, and just surprising in general.I have to admit to being a bit skeptical at first. The movie started off feeling a bit gimmicky (some scenes are split-screen, characters have interview-like discussions with a psychologist off camera, movie is divided into chapters like a book...) and cliché (both in characters and concept), and there were definitely moments early on when I felt like the movie was going to be painfully predictable. But then something changed; I'm not sure if it was the flow of the movie, or the way I was perceiving it, but what at first struck me as a set of cliché characters started feeling like a group of my old friends. The excellent dialogue, directing, and cast performances really flesh out these characters (ESPECIALLY the supporting cast), and in doing so lend the movie a certain familiarity and credibility. The two supporting male characters (Jeff and Brad), in particular, started to remind me so much of a couple friends of mine it was scary. I began caring about what happened to the people involved, and that to me is really the keystone of a good story.Then, just when I was getting comfortable with the plot and the group of friends, the movie started throwing curveballs... decidedly raunchy and often uncomfortable curveballs at that (in a good way, of course). This is where a lot of the surprise came from. Eventually I stopped thinking that I knew what was going to happen and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. The "gimmicks" actually turned out to be quite effective tools Mr. Bechard used to round out the characters and set up and deliver some really hilarious lines. The movie itself came away feeling well paced, well thought out, and the acting was at such a level I forgot I was watching an indie flick. The soundtrack was also very good and tied in perfectly with the rest of the story.I would definitely recommend this movie to my friends, although it might not be for everyone (especially for the summer Hollywood blockbuster types). Just be patient, give it a chance, and I know it will make you laugh (and probably cringe few times too).