Chicago – It seems that carnal canoodling without strings attached seems all the rage in romantic comedies these days. The twentysomething set, having seen their share of divorces and break-ups, prefer the Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis method in “Friends with Benefits.”

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Set in the upper middle class fantasy realm, where a person can have a fabulous job in the publishing industry (note to Hollywood, that level of job is dead), this film relies on the charm and chemistry of the two leads, Timberlake and Kunis. The problem is the script and characterizations, because for a story to make fun of the typical rom-com movie clichés, and then blithely practice those same stereotypes, takes some brass.

Justin Timberlake is Dylan, a hot-shot Los Angeles art director at a popular website (at first I thought he was reprising his role in “Social Network). He is recruited by a hot-shot New York...