Friends With Benefits Review: Does This 2011 Rom-Com Still Hold Up?

Released in 2011, Friends With Benefits is a romantic comedy starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake.

Directed by Will Gluck, the film follows two friends who decide to keep their relationship strictly physical, only to discover that things are far more complicated than they expected.

I’ve wanted to watch this film ever since I first saw the trailer. I’d been keeping tabs on Mila Kunis since her performance in Black Swan and was curious to see how she would fare in a romantic comedy.

Justin Timberlake was still teetering on the border for me as to whether I considered him a genuinely good actor, so I was also interested to see how he performed here.

Friends With Benefits arrived in cinemas the same year as No Strings Attached, starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, and the two films share a very similar premise.

In my opinion, Friends With Benefits is by far the stronger of the two.

Friends with Benefits Review

Quick Verdict: One of the best romantic comedies of the 2010s, thanks to excellent chemistry between Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, plenty of laughs and more emotional depth than you might expect.

Friends With Benefits follows Jamie (Mila Kunis) and Dylan (Justin Timberlake), two friends who have both recently been hurt by failed relationships.

They decide to keep things simple by adding a physical element to their friendship with no emotional strings attached.

Unsurprisingly, things become far more complicated as their personal and professional lives become increasingly intertwined.

The plot was brilliant, and the balance between ‘romance’ and comedy was absolute perfection.

Although it’s pretty obvious how this movie ends, it wasn’t one of those annoyingly predictable movies where you spend the entire film wondering when the predictable event would happen.

I was perfectly content to wait and see exactly how this movie panned out.

There are some downright hilarious moments in this film, but there are also points in which I wanted to cry.

Romantic comedies usually receive a lot of stick, and rarely are they movies that are actually of a very high standard but this one really was.

Friends With Benefits remains one of Justin Timberlake’s strongest acting performances.

He displays a surprising amount of range, making the audience laugh, feel sad and take him seriously when necessary.

He even gets the chance to show off his musical talents with a bit of rapping!

Mila Kunis set the bar very high for herself after her role in Black Swan but she proves that she is far more than a dramatic actress.

After the success of Black Swan, she demonstrates impressive comedic timing while still handling the film’s more emotional moments with ease.

The chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis is electric. They work really well together, and it’s the chemistry between the two that really carried this film forward and made it all the more believable.

This film explores the often blurry line between friendship and romance, which is something many people can relate to. That’s part of what makes the story feel so believable despite its familiar premise.

I’d definitely recommend watching Friends With Benefits if you’re a fan of romantic comedies. It’s incredibly funny, surprisingly moving and benefits enormously from the chemistry between its two leads. Even years after its release, it’s a film that’s easy to revisit and enjoy all over again.

Is Friends With Benefits worth watching?

Absolutely. More than a decade after its 2011 release, Friends With Benefits still holds up as one of the best romantic comedies of the 2010s, and I’ve watched it countless times over the years.

The chemistry between Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake feels genuine, the humour lands well, and the film balances comedy and emotion far better than many films in the genre.

If you enjoy romantic comedies such as No Strings Attached, Crazy, Stupid, Love, or Love and Other Drugs, this is well worth adding to your watchlist.

You’ll enjoy Friends With Benefits if you like:

• Friends-to-lovers stories
• Romantic comedies with strong chemistry
• Relationship stories that feel (mostly) relatable
• Quick-witted banter and sharp dialogue

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