Friends with Benefits is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.

The film features Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Richard Jenkins, and Woody Harrelson in supporting roles.

[3] The plot revolves around Dylan Harper (Timberlake) and Jamie Rellis (Kunis), who meet in New York City, and naively believe adding sex to their friendship will not lead to complications.

Jamie Rellis, an executive headhunter in NYC, recruits Dylan Francis Harper Jr., an LA art director, to interview for a position with GQ magazine.

Dylan moves to New York, signing a one-year contract that earns Jamie a commission, and they become close platonic friends.

Approximately two months later, Variety magazine announced that an ensemble cast consisting of Emma Stone, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg and Jenna Elfman were set to join them in the film.

[10] Filming continued in Central Park and other sections of New York City from July to early August before the production relocated to Los Angeles, California.

[18][19] Will Gluck stated that the concept of the story began with the idea that he wanted to work with Kunis and Timberlake, explaining that he rewrote the script for the two actors.

In an interview with Movieline, Gluck further discussed the film's plot saying that Friends with Benefits would relate largely with a younger generation.

"[23] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Timberlake explained that he and Gluck held authorship of humor and tone in regard to Friends with Benefits.

Gluck would meet with the actors with 20 pages of script in front of him and the three would beat it up, changing lines, and defending each character's perspective.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Friends with Benefits adds nothing new to its well-worn rom-com formula, but the chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis is almost enough to carry the movie by itself.

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised Friends with Benefits for its "breezy, speedy and funny comedy" and complimented the chemistry between the lead actors.

"[32] Peter Debruge of Variety found the plot to be predictable and benign; however, he complimented the cast, calling Kunis "a natural with comedy", while Timberlake "exudes the kind of star wattage that put Will Smith on top.

"[33] Likewise, Salon's Andrew O'Hehir asserted that despite a disappointing conclusion to the film, it was nonetheless a "rewarding summer diversion.

[36] Betsey Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times praised the acting in the film, opining that "it [brought] a lot of natural life to the party.

"[30] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, stating that there was "palpable chemistry" between Timberlake and Kunis.

[37] Entertainment Weekly writer Owen Gleiberman gave Friends with Benefits a 'B−' grade, exclaiming that while he enjoyed much of the film, he felt that it was inconsistent.

His voice and his manner are light, there's barely a hair on the guy's chest, yet his confidence and wit are sexy in a way entirely befitting a smart urban romance.

"[40] Giving Friends with Benefits a three-star rating, The Boston Globe journalist Ty Burr opined that the film "works like a charm."

[41] Melissa Leong of the National Post wrote, "While the film takes jabs at the Hollywood fairy tale, ... Gluck adheres to the formula.

"[42] According to The New York Times, Friends with Benefits, a film "about love and sex in the age of social networking, gets some of its juice and tang partly by trash-talking its own genre.

"[43] Timberlake added that Friends with Benefits is a film for "our generation; people that are between 25 and 30 years of age that are moving into a different part of their life.

In Australia, it premiered on August 18, 2011, and earned $2.4 million during its opening weekend, charting above Green Lantern to finish first at the box office.