New Red Band Trailer for Friends With Benefits; Plus Director Will Gluck Discusses Love Scenes and Chemistry
Posted 07.16.11 by Ryan
Sony Pictures released the first red band trailer for the upcoming romantic comedy Friends With Benefits last November, months before the similarly-plotted No Strings Attached opened in January. With the Friends With Benefits opening next week, Sony has released a second red band trailer, after releasing three preview clips of the movie.
Like Paramount's No Strings Attached, Friends With Benefits is about two friends (this time played by Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis) who decided to enter into an emotionless, and physically motivated, relationship. However, under Will Gluck's (Easy A) direction, the new red band trailer shows that Friends With Benefits looks like it could be the funnier of the two movies with the same plot.
Opening July 22, Friends With Benefits opens up against Captain America: The First Avenger, a movie which Gluck sarcastically told EW is "really just a retread of No Strings Attached." Only Gluck's third directorial effort, he admitted that Friends With Benefits was the first time he had to direct actors in a love scene. Luckily for Gluck, Kunis and Timberlake are, in the director's words, "genetically perfect specimens" that "you don’t have to waste any time lighting."
There is not one angle in any kind of backlight, top light, sunlight, or klieg light in which this pair does not look stunningly gorgeous. I could have filmed them with a Flip camera and a headlamp, and they would have still looked amazing. If you’re not lucky enough to have Justin and Mila, use candlelight, put the camera as far away as possible, and shoot through a piece of cheesecloth. This new HD format is very unforgiving.
The other key to the performances, said Gluck, was the chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake.
Justin and Mila had never met before, but instead of making them do trust falls or a ropes course I decided to shoot the first half of the movie in New York City. I figured spending 16 hours a day working together out in public, surrounded by 8 million people, would give them time to foster "chemistry." What I didn’t figure was how hard it was going to be. Tourists in Central Park, Grand Central station, and Times Square don’t exactly "respect the creative process." To say it was a zoo would be unfair to the Bronx Zoo.
Friends With Benefits co-stars Woody Harelson, Patricia Clarkson, and Jenna Elfman, with cameos from Emma Stone and Andy Samberg.