The Audience Gets Screwed: Friends With Benefits

The writer- producer. Team behind this turkey inisits they hadn't seen "No Strings Attached" the Ashton Kutcher- Natalie Portman vehicle that preceded "Friends With Benefits" tonthe big screen. That's all well and good for them (I had to sit through it), but it really doesn't matter; this one fails all o it's own merit - or lack thereof.

With that said, it's hard to dislike the two leads - Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis,who truly give it their all. He plays a newly hired art director, at GQ magazine no less, while she plays his gal pal and navigator through the tortuorous office politics (which includes Woody Harrelson flailing awY in the role of gay sportswriter).

Over beers, at her place, the "proposition" emerges: "let's have sex as if we were playing tennis" he says. "No commitment, no spoiling of the friendship - everything stays the same, we just have sex and then continue on as if nothing has changed."

Which, the producers posit, is impossible. Okay fine, we get it. Is that really enough to fill almoustvtwo hours of screen time? The answer is obvious, and so we are subjected to Justin and Mila in bed, on the floor, Justin on the toilet while Mila waits on the floor, and Justin, the commitment-phone Justintaking Mila to meet His mom (Jenna Elfman) and...well younger the idea.

The premise of this limp, tedious romantic comedy was supposedly to avoid the conventional cliches of the genre. Well, simply they failed, but Justin and mil a can no doubt just go sailing on as if this one never happened

Mel brings 2 much drama: Hangover 2 cast say "see ya! to "Lethal Weapon" star

I personally find this odd, even hypocrtical, given their accommodation of Nike Tyson in the first movie, but....that's Hollywood.

Mel Gibson has missed out on a cameo role in the sequel to the hit comedy The Hangover after objections from cast and crew, its director has said.

Todd Phillips said in a statement that he planned to cast him as a tattoo artist but did not have "the full support of my entire cast and crew".

Phillips said he and studio Warner Bros thought "Mel would have been great".

The decision follows the release of recordings of Gibson, 54, apparently threatening his ex-girlfriend.

"I realize film-making is a collaborative effort and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew," Phillips said.

A representative for Gibson made no comment.

Extortion allegation

The original Hangover film, about a stag party that goes awry in Las Vegas, took more than $467m (£297m) globally.

The sequel, due out next year, will reunite Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha.

Los Angeles police are investigating Gibson on suspicion of domestic abuse against ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his one-year-old daughter.

Ms Grigorieva, meanwhile, is being investigated over claims that she tried to extort money from Gibson.

Neither have been charged.

On Thursday, a judge ruled that detectives could have unlimited access to Ms Grigorieva's computer.

She had sought a ruling to limit access to her machine.

Sweet Nothings with a foul mouth:going the Distance.....doesn't

Erin(Drew Barrymore)'s wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning. Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City. But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end. The couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.

Ahh.... the subtle art of the movie summary. From the above, you'd figure you might have at least a mildly diverting entertainment with some profanity to give it bit of "edge".

What you get instead is a by turns crass and hopelessly naive mess of a romantic comedy that leaves you caring neither for the romance (weren't they an item - Long and Barrymore - in real life?) nor the comedy (despite mighty efforts by Christina Applegate - remember her? - and Charlie Day).

Its as if director Nanette Burstein and writer Geoff La Tulippe feel that mere scatology can be accepted as originality in this format. Instead of illuminating, "The Distance" is more often irritating, and leaves you wondering, "when will it end?"