Poster © Sony Pictures Releasing. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreComedy & Romance
RatedR
Runtime1 hr 49 mins
ReleasedJuly 22, 2011
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorWill Gluck
StarringJustin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson
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Friends with Benefits (2011)
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| Friends with Benefits's Details | |
| Genre | Comedy & Romance |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 07/18/2011 (New York City); 07/22/2011 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 49 mins |
| Budget | $35M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Friends with Benefits's Interests | |
| General | New York rooftops, GQ job offers, rom-com clichés, promises made on a Bible app. |
| Music | Fifteen songs on the soundtrack album, and Justin Timberlake on screen, so the sing-along bar is high. |
| Movies | No Strings Attached (2011). Same year, same deal, different couple. |
| Television | That '70s Show. Kunis has been playing it cool since Jackie. |
| Heroes | Tommy (Woody Harrelson). Sports editor, scene thief, surprisingly good life advice. |
| Friends with Benefits's Crew | |
| Director | Will Gluck |
| Writers | Will Gluck, Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Keith Merryman (story), David A. Newman (story), Harley Peyton (story) |
| Producers | Liz Glotzer, Will Gluck, Martin Shafer, Jerry Zucker, Janet Zucker |
| Cinematography | Michael Grady |
| Edited By | Tia Nolan |
| Production | Screen Gems, Castle Rock Entertainment, Olive Bridge Entertainment, Zucker Productions |
| Distributed By | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Jamie Rellis (Mila Kunis) is a New York headhunter, and her latest recruit is Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake), an art director from Los Angeles she's luring east for a job at GQ. Both just got dumped, both are done with romance, and both are pretty sure every rom-com is a lie. So they become best friends and strike a deal: all the perks of dating, none of the feelings. What could go wrong. Woody Harrelson steals scenes as Tommy, a sports editor, and Patricia Clarkson plays Jamie's free-spirited mom, Lorna. Will Gluck directs. One hundred nine minutes, one very flimsy deal.
Anyone who thinks they can keep it casual. Good luck with that.
Watching Friends with Benefits is like watching a friend roast a buffet for an hour, then go back for thirds. The movie spends its first half mocking rom-com clichés, complete with a cheesy fake romance the leads laugh at on TV, then spends its last act checking every one of those clichés off a list. The self-awareness is a shield, not a punchline. Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake talk fast and sharp, like two people trying to win a debate nobody else signed up for, and they’re fun while the story coasts. Woody Harrelson walks off with every scene as a sports editor who says every thought aloud. Richard Jenkins, as Dylan’s dad, brings a quiet sadness the rest of the movie doesn’t quite know what to do with. Patricia Clarkson plays Jamie’s mom like she’s starring in a better movie next door. A 5.8 because the cast is sharp and the script turns into the thing it spent an hour laughing at. $1,817 says you start pointing out rom-com clichés in everything you watch, commercials included.
What works: Kunis and Timberlake have real comic timing together, and Woody Harrelson and Patricia Clarkson make every scene they’re in funnier.
What doesn’t: After an hour of mocking rom-com clichés, the ending runs through every single one of them with a straight face.
Who it’s for: Rom-com viewers who enjoy fast banter and don’t mind seeing the ending coming from a mile away.
Spoilers
Jamie and Dylan fall for each other for real, fall out, and make up after a talk with his dad shows Dylan what he’s about to lose. He wins her back with a big public gesture at Grand Central, the exact kind of rom-com finale they used to make fun of.
| Justin Timberlake | Dylan Harper |
| Mila Kunis | Jamie Rellis |
| Patricia Clarkson | Lorna Rellis |
| Jenna Elfman | Annie Harper |
| Bryan Greenberg | Parker |
| Nolan Gould | Sam Harper |
| Richard Jenkins | Mr. Harper |
| Woody Harrelson | Tommy Bollinger |
| Emma Stone | Kayla |
| Andy Samberg | Quincy |
| Shaun White | himself |
| Courtney Henggeler | Flight attendant |
| Tiya Sircar | Hostess |
| Jason Segel | Brice |
| Rashida Jones | Madison |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 31 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 6.5 / 10 (424,767 votes) → 6.5 / 10 (424,944 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 24 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 6.5 / 10 (424,547 votes) → 6.5 / 10 (424,767 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $149.5M; Domestic box office $55.8M; Opening weekend $18.6M; Profit / loss (est.) +$22.3M; Rotten Tomatoes 69%; CinemaScore B+; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 69% (170 reviews); Metacritic 63 / 100; CinemaScore B+; IMDb users 6.5 / 10 (424,547 votes); movie.guru score 5.3.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.