Plot
Jamie (Mila Kunis) is an Executive Recruiter for a leading job agency in New York City and Dylan (Justin Timberlake) works as an art director for a small internet company in Los Angeles. Jamie has the task of trying to recruit Dylan to interview for a job with GQ magazine and begin working in New York City. Dylan comes to New York and after interviewing for the position learns from Jamie that he has been given an offer to work for GQ. At first Dylan is hesitant to accept and move from Los Angeles to New York, but in an effort to get Dylan to accept the job Jamie spends the evening taking him around the city trying to sell him on the opportunity and the city.
After a fun night together exploring the city Dylan agrees to take the job. The next day Jamie presents Dylan with the contract to sign so she can land her commission for recruiting him. Not knowing anyone else in the city he and Jamie quickly develop a friendship. One night, while hanging out at Jamie’s apartment watching a romantic comedy, they get on the topic of sex and relationships. They come to the conclusion that sex should not come with so many emotional attachments. Both feeling the need for a physical connection they agree to have sex without emotion or commitment involved. After several trysts together Jamie comes to the realization that this isn’t really what she wants, and she would like to start dating again and informs Dylan that they need to stop.
Jamie meets Parker (Bryan Greenberg) and they begin dating. After five dates they consummate their relationship but the next morning Parker leaves and informs Jamie he really wasn’t looking for anything more. Furious, Jamie tells Parker off, assuring the end of their relationship. Trying to be sympathetic and to help Jamie get over the pain of the situation Dylan suggests she come with him to California over the July 4th weekend while he visits his family. Jamie is very hesitant, but agrees after much persistence from Dylan. They fly to California where Jamie meets his sister Annie (Jenna Elfman) and father (Richard Jenkins). While in California emotional feelings for each other begin to form and they share a passionate kiss, which leads to a night of close intimacy unlike any they had shared before. However the next day Jamie overhears a conversation between Annie and Dylan indicating he has no real feelings for her. Hurt, she flies back to New York. A few days later Dylan returns to New York trying to reconcile his friendship with Jamie and find out why she has been ignoring him. He finally finds Jamie and she informs him she overheard everything he said and has no interest in maintaining any kind of a friendship with him.
Soon after this Jamie discovers that Dylan may be leaving the GQ position for another job, which would affect her commission. She confronts Dylan about this which leads to another argument. Both begin to do some soul searching trying to come to terms with their feelings about their relationship. Jamie spends time with her mother (Patricia Clarkson), while Dylan discusses it with his sister over the phone. His sister informs him that their father, who suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, will be flying to New York and he needs to be picked up at the airport. While eating at the airport with his father, his father, in a moment of Alzheimer's-induced confusion, incorrectly recognizes a passerby as a woman from his past. Dylan asks him about this woman, and his father, upon regaining his lucidity, says that she was a woman he met in the Navy, that she was the love of his life, and regrets decisions he made in his youth to let her go.
Dylan realizes how he feels about Jamie and after a talk with his friend and coworker, Tommy (Woody Harrelson), decides to go after her. He calls Jamie’s mother to set up an excuse to get Jamie to go to Grand Central Station thinking she will be picking her mother up and arranges to have a flash mob scene set up to surprise Jamie at Grand Central. When the moment comes he catches up with Jamie and tells her how he really feels. Surprised and happy by this turn of events Jamie tells him to kiss her. After sharing a kiss Dylan suggests it is time they go on their first real date. They go to the café across the street, and although they attempt to keep the date casual and relaxed, the film ends with them in a sensual embrace and passionate kiss.
Cast
Development
Paramount Pictures dropped its original protest against the film after their director, Ivan Reitman, re-titled his film No Strings Attached. Screen Gems was then clear to move forward with the titleFriends with Benefits. At the same time NBC was developing a sitcom with the same title, but the movie production company stated that due to its production schedule, they didn’t expect an issue to arise.[9] Screen Gems chose to accelerate production for fear they would lose their title to the competing Paramount project. Director Will Gluck spoke about the frustration of comparing the two films, stating: "I wish there was more space between them. The thing that's irking me now is people are saying we're remaking No Strings Attached. We're not remaking it. The two movies were being made at the same time."[10] Further outrage was expressed by Gluck in an interview with the New Zealand Herald, going on to say that Friends with Benefits was "very different to No Strings Attached".[11] Similar sentiments were expressed by Kunis, opining, "It's just two different movies. There's only [...] so many stories you can tell in the world. This is just one of the many."[12]
The first red-band trailer debuted on November 5, 2010,[13] while the first theatrical trailer was released on March 16, 2011.[14] The trailer had a subsequent release on YouTube and attracted over a million views in 48 hours, becoming the second most watched video of the day and the most viewed video in the category of "film" around the globe.[15] Promotion for Friends with Benefits subsequently grew, including promotional videos from Facebook and Twitter. Timberlake and Kunis also landed on the cover of Elle in support of the film.[16][17]
WritingWill 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. Following those changes, Gluck expressed that he wanted to attract a more adult audience and that he "wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships."[18] He went on to compare the storyline of Friends with Benefits to the relationship in films between Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.[19]
In an interview with Movieline, Gluck further discussed the film's plot saying that Friends with Benefits would relate largely with a younger generation. He added: "They comment about these romantic comedies throughout the movie, and as they go through their storyline, they realize that they’re in a romantic comedy story — as two regular people who aren’t in a movie would comment on. They’re very cognizant that they’re in this story [...] but they end up embracing the fact that they’re going through a romantic comedy moment." [21] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Timberlake explained that he and Gluck held authorship of humor and tone in regards to Friends with Benefits.[20] Timberlake and Kunis workshopped the script for more than a month before the movie went into production. 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.[22]
Music
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Halli Cauthery. In June 2011, it was announced that Madison Gate Records would be distributing the album which featured fifteen songs. The album for Friends with Benefits was released on July 19, 2011.[23]
Upon release, Friends with Benefits received positive reviews from critics. The film has a 71% approval rating on the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, based on 154 reviews with an average rating of 6.3/10, with the consensus: "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."[25] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, gave the film a 63 out of 100 based on 37 reviews from critics.[26]
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times stated that Friends with Benefitsis a "breezy, speedy and funny comedy with a nicely matched Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis."[27] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Timesgave the film a three out of four stars, and remarked that "what not every [romantic comedy] has, however, is good dialogue, well-delivered at a fast clip." He added, "Kunis fast-talks her way through the opening scenes as if she's channeling Juno, and Timberlake easily keeps up. At some fundamental level, I simply enjoyed watching them."[28] Peter Debruge of Variety found the plot to be predictable and benign; however, he complimented the cast, stating that Kunis is "a natural with comedy", while Timberlake "exudes the kind of star wattage that put Will Smith on top."[29] Likewise, Salon's Andrew O'Hehir asserted that despite a disappointing conclusion to the film, it was nonetheless a "rewarding summer diversion."[30] The Guardian writer Peter Bradshaw reacted negatively to Friends with Benefits, expressing that there "was no benefit to watching it." Bradshaw gave the film a one out of five stars.[31]
The Telegraph's Sukhdev Sandhu felt that Justin Timberlake held his own when working with Mila Kunis. Concluding his review, Sandhu presented Friends with Benefits a three out of five stars.[32] 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."[24] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, stating that there was "palpable chemistry" between Timberlake and Kunis.[33] 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.[34]
Mary Pols of Time applauded the film, and wrote that despite the plot being predictable, the film was "elevated by energetic dialogue, the sexual chemistry between the leads and the fact that the miscommunication that keeps bliss at bay [...] is plausible."[36] Giving Friends with Benefits a three star rating, the Boston Globejournalist Ty Burr opined that the film "works like a charm." He added that it mostly keeps its manic energy in check, and that it plays to chick-flick formulas without ever groveling -which is due almost entirely to the leads."[35] Similar sentiments were expressed by Peter Paras of E! Online. Giving it a 'B' grade, Paras asserted that the film was the best romantic comedy film in a long time.[37] Melissa Leong of the National Post wrote, "While the film takes jabs at the Hollywood fairy tale, [...] Gluck adheres to the formula."[38]
[edit]Box office
Friends with Benefits was released in North America on July 22, 2011, in 2,926 theaters. It collected $6,801,594 on its opening day and then grossed a total of $18,622,150 in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office, behind Captain America: The First Avenger and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[1] The film grossed $55.8 million in the United States and Canada.[1]
The film had similar success internationally. 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.[39] The film expanded into Europe in September 2011. It grossed $10.6 million from over 20 territories in its first weekend.[40] Friends with Benefits topped first place in France, where it opened with $1.8 million. The film performed highest in the United Kingdom and Germany, where it grossed $3.1 million and $2.6 million in its first weekend upon release, respectively.[40] By mid-September, the film had grossed over $29.6 million overseas.[40] As of November 2011 it has grossed over 149.5 million worldwide, with international grosses standing at $93.7 million.[1]
After a fun night together exploring the city Dylan agrees to take the job. The next day Jamie presents Dylan with the contract to sign so she can land her commission for recruiting him. Not knowing anyone else in the city he and Jamie quickly develop a friendship. One night, while hanging out at Jamie’s apartment watching a romantic comedy, they get on the topic of sex and relationships. They come to the conclusion that sex should not come with so many emotional attachments. Both feeling the need for a physical connection they agree to have sex without emotion or commitment involved. After several trysts together Jamie comes to the realization that this isn’t really what she wants, and she would like to start dating again and informs Dylan that they need to stop.
Jamie meets Parker (Bryan Greenberg) and they begin dating. After five dates they consummate their relationship but the next morning Parker leaves and informs Jamie he really wasn’t looking for anything more. Furious, Jamie tells Parker off, assuring the end of their relationship. Trying to be sympathetic and to help Jamie get over the pain of the situation Dylan suggests she come with him to California over the July 4th weekend while he visits his family. Jamie is very hesitant, but agrees after much persistence from Dylan. They fly to California where Jamie meets his sister Annie (Jenna Elfman) and father (Richard Jenkins). While in California emotional feelings for each other begin to form and they share a passionate kiss, which leads to a night of close intimacy unlike any they had shared before. However the next day Jamie overhears a conversation between Annie and Dylan indicating he has no real feelings for her. Hurt, she flies back to New York. A few days later Dylan returns to New York trying to reconcile his friendship with Jamie and find out why she has been ignoring him. He finally finds Jamie and she informs him she overheard everything he said and has no interest in maintaining any kind of a friendship with him.
Soon after this Jamie discovers that Dylan may be leaving the GQ position for another job, which would affect her commission. She confronts Dylan about this which leads to another argument. Both begin to do some soul searching trying to come to terms with their feelings about their relationship. Jamie spends time with her mother (Patricia Clarkson), while Dylan discusses it with his sister over the phone. His sister informs him that their father, who suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, will be flying to New York and he needs to be picked up at the airport. While eating at the airport with his father, his father, in a moment of Alzheimer's-induced confusion, incorrectly recognizes a passerby as a woman from his past. Dylan asks him about this woman, and his father, upon regaining his lucidity, says that she was a woman he met in the Navy, that she was the love of his life, and regrets decisions he made in his youth to let her go.
Dylan realizes how he feels about Jamie and after a talk with his friend and coworker, Tommy (Woody Harrelson), decides to go after her. He calls Jamie’s mother to set up an excuse to get Jamie to go to Grand Central Station thinking she will be picking her mother up and arranges to have a flash mob scene set up to surprise Jamie at Grand Central. When the moment comes he catches up with Jamie and tells her how he really feels. Surprised and happy by this turn of events Jamie tells him to kiss her. After sharing a kiss Dylan suggests it is time they go on their first real date. They go to the café across the street, and although they attempt to keep the date casual and relaxed, the film ends with them in a sensual embrace and passionate kiss.
Cast
- Mila Kunis as Jamie
- Justin Timberlake as Dylan
- Nolan Gould as Sammy
- Woody Harrelson as Tommy
- Patricia Clarkson as Lorna
- Richard Jenkins as Mr. Harper
- Emma Stone as Kayla
- Jenna Elfman as Annie
- Andy Samberg as Quincy
- Bryan Greenberg as Parker
- Masi Oka as Darin Arturo Morena
Development
In April 2010, Justin Timberlake was the first to sign on to the project [3] and he was soon followed by Mila Kunis when she landed the female lead opposite him. Approximately two months laterVariety 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.[4]Three days after principal filming began Bryan Greenberg completed the cast.[5] Friends with Benefits featured cameo appearances from Jason Segel, Shaun White and Rashida Jones.[6]Production locations were set up as early as July 13, and principal filmography commenced on July 20, 2010 in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City.[7] Filming continued in Central Park[8] and other sections of New York City from July to early August before the production relocated to Los Angeles, California.[7]
Paramount Pictures dropped its original protest against the film after their director, Ivan Reitman, re-titled his film No Strings Attached. Screen Gems was then clear to move forward with the titleFriends with Benefits. At the same time NBC was developing a sitcom with the same title, but the movie production company stated that due to its production schedule, they didn’t expect an issue to arise.[9] Screen Gems chose to accelerate production for fear they would lose their title to the competing Paramount project. Director Will Gluck spoke about the frustration of comparing the two films, stating: "I wish there was more space between them. The thing that's irking me now is people are saying we're remaking No Strings Attached. We're not remaking it. The two movies were being made at the same time."[10] Further outrage was expressed by Gluck in an interview with the New Zealand Herald, going on to say that Friends with Benefits was "very different to No Strings Attached".[11] Similar sentiments were expressed by Kunis, opining, "It's just two different movies. There's only [...] so many stories you can tell in the world. This is just one of the many."[12]
The first red-band trailer debuted on November 5, 2010,[13] while the first theatrical trailer was released on March 16, 2011.[14] The trailer had a subsequent release on YouTube and attracted over a million views in 48 hours, becoming the second most watched video of the day and the most viewed video in the category of "film" around the globe.[15] Promotion for Friends with Benefits subsequently grew, including promotional videos from Facebook and Twitter. Timberlake and Kunis also landed on the cover of Elle in support of the film.[16][17]
WritingWill 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. Following those changes, Gluck expressed that he wanted to attract a more adult audience and that he "wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships."[18] He went on to compare the storyline of Friends with Benefits to the relationship in films between Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.[19]
As a viewer, I don’t want to walk into a movie called Friends with Benefits and see the PG-13 version. For me, you can’t have a movie like that without embracing what the title is.
“
”
– Justin Timberlake[20]
Music
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Halli Cauthery. In June 2011, it was announced that Madison Gate Records would be distributing the album which featured fifteen songs. The album for Friends with Benefits was released on July 19, 2011.[23]
Reception
Critical response
The look, thanks to director of photography Michael Grady, and the conversations on sex and commitment are open and open-ended. Important issues about the inherent clash between changing mores andtraditional values get noodled over a bit. The sex talk is graphic, the sex itself is explicit and energetic, and Jamie and Dylan have a kind of sweetness that makes you want to root for them. Ironically, the problem is that Friends With Benefits doesn't go far enough when it gets to the substantial stuff. As Freud famously said — even romantic comedies need to take their sex seriously or there will be no satisfaction.
—Betsey Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times[24]
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times stated that Friends with Benefitsis a "breezy, speedy and funny comedy with a nicely matched Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis."[27] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Timesgave the film a three out of four stars, and remarked that "what not every [romantic comedy] has, however, is good dialogue, well-delivered at a fast clip." He added, "Kunis fast-talks her way through the opening scenes as if she's channeling Juno, and Timberlake easily keeps up. At some fundamental level, I simply enjoyed watching them."[28] Peter Debruge of Variety found the plot to be predictable and benign; however, he complimented the cast, stating that Kunis is "a natural with comedy", while Timberlake "exudes the kind of star wattage that put Will Smith on top."[29] Likewise, Salon's Andrew O'Hehir asserted that despite a disappointing conclusion to the film, it was nonetheless a "rewarding summer diversion."[30] The Guardian writer Peter Bradshaw reacted negatively to Friends with Benefits, expressing that there "was no benefit to watching it." Bradshaw gave the film a one out of five stars.[31]
The Telegraph's Sukhdev Sandhu felt that Justin Timberlake held his own when working with Mila Kunis. Concluding his review, Sandhu presented Friends with Benefits a three out of five stars.[32] 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."[24] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, stating that there was "palpable chemistry" between Timberlake and Kunis.[33] 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.[34]
Kunis’s easy authority grounds the movie, while Timberlake tapdances delightfully around the edges. 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.
— Ty Burr, of the Boston Globe[35]
Mary Pols of Time applauded the film, and wrote that despite the plot being predictable, the film was "elevated by energetic dialogue, the sexual chemistry between the leads and the fact that the miscommunication that keeps bliss at bay [...] is plausible."[36] Giving Friends with Benefits a three star rating, the Boston Globejournalist Ty Burr opined that the film "works like a charm." He added that it mostly keeps its manic energy in check, and that it plays to chick-flick formulas without ever groveling -which is due almost entirely to the leads."[35] Similar sentiments were expressed by Peter Paras of E! Online. Giving it a 'B' grade, Paras asserted that the film was the best romantic comedy film in a long time.[37] Melissa Leong of the National Post wrote, "While the film takes jabs at the Hollywood fairy tale, [...] Gluck adheres to the formula."[38]
[edit]Box office
Friends with Benefits was released in North America on July 22, 2011, in 2,926 theaters. It collected $6,801,594 on its opening day and then grossed a total of $18,622,150 in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office, behind Captain America: The First Avenger and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[1] The film grossed $55.8 million in the United States and Canada.[1]
The film had similar success internationally. 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.[39] The film expanded into Europe in September 2011. It grossed $10.6 million from over 20 territories in its first weekend.[40] Friends with Benefits topped first place in France, where it opened with $1.8 million. The film performed highest in the United Kingdom and Germany, where it grossed $3.1 million and $2.6 million in its first weekend upon release, respectively.[40] By mid-September, the film had grossed over $29.6 million overseas.[40] As of November 2011 it has grossed over 149.5 million worldwide, with international grosses standing at $93.7 million.[1]
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