What would happen if people do not want to have any romantic relationship, but still want sexual activity and sharing their problems with someone? Who would they share these things with? Lovers and friends maybe not the answer because a romantic relationship is not needed and sexual activity cannot happen with friends. Here we go! Friends with benefits probably are the rightest answer to those who do not want to have a romantic relationship, but still want sexual activity. This kind of relationship is presented through the American movie. Friends with benefits is a rom-com movie in which the leading roles starred by Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. This movie was launched in 2011, ten years ago from the present and it can be considered old movie. Even though the movie is old, but its content is never old to viewers. 

The plot involves two broken characters getting to meet in New York City. From the beginning, Jamie and Dylan are just colleagues and then they gradually become close to each other. Until they decide to make a deal to have friends with benefits relationship. They share their stories and sex, but never impede each other if one of them meets the right person. Almost the whole story presents the definition of ‘Friends with Benefits’ quite well. 

What is a Friends with Benefits Relationship?

Having read this review so far, some people may not understand what friends with benefits relationship is. Let me explain briefly. Friends with Benefits is a relationship between two people physically intimating with each other without any romantic feeling. People who are in this relationship would enjoy spending time together and hooking up (Lloyd).People deciding to be in this relationship do not mean that they will never want a romantic feeling. It may be just that they are not ready at that time. Also, having sex with friends is too risky because it is difficult to remain a friendship if you have a feeling for them while they do not feel the same. This is why friends with benefits relationship are the right answer. Between two people, there would be rules or deals depending on each pair such as if one of them finds someone whom she/he is really into, this relationship must be over. Just like Jamie and Dylan, they have made a rule before they start this relationship.

Friends with Benefits movie is quite old since it was released ten years ago. There are many movies released in the same year with this movie such as No String Attached are out of date, but Friends with Benefits is not. No String Attached calls itself a friends with benefits movie but the screenplay is about a man trying to win a woman’s heart from this relationship. It is not even friends with benefits. This is why it fails to represent this relationship and Friends with Benefits can do better. The content of the movie still relates to the present and many people rewatch the movie including me. Some rewatch it because it is fun, some rewatch the movie because its content is new and interesting, and some rewatch it because the movie makes them feel relatable. Many people have friends with benefits relationships like Jamie and Dylan in the film. This illustrates that those people do not want a romantic relationship (yet?), but they still want sexual activities with someone they can share their stories with. Why do they decide to have this kind of relationship? 

Personal Interview with a Person Who Experienced Friends with Benefits Relationship

According to a friend of mine who has participated in friends with benefits relationship, she felt comfortable having sexual relations with someone she already knew because she could know some backgrounds of her partner, so she could trust him. Unlike a one-night stand relationship that she could know nothing about the person she slept with and it was quite risky. This is only one of the reasons why many people choose to have a friends with benefits relationship. There are also a lot of reasons that are not mentioned in this review because many people have different reasons for forming this type of relationship.

Let’s get back to the movie. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis can portray the characters in this movie well. Also, the content is very relatable to its title “Friends with Benefits” however, the ending of the movie is not what friends with benefits is called. The feelings of the two protagonists are developing into romantic feelings and they end up being lovers. The ending can mislead many people about this relationship. People may think that those who have friends with benefits relationship can become lovers and have a deep feeling for each other and it could happen for some pairs. But from the interview of a person who used to be in this kind of relationship, the relationship ended when someone had a deeper feeling and her pair did not feel the same way. The ending of this movie has created a forlorn hope for viewers because, in reality, not everybody’ hope will be fulfilled.

All in all, Friend with Benefits movie is worth watching if the viewer would like to know more about friends with benefits relationship since its content and the casts can clarify the definition of this relationship well. However, the ending of the movie is out of the scope of friends with benefits relationship, and it could mislead viewers. So don’t take it seriously! 

Work Cited

Lloyd, Stacey Laura. “What Does Friends With Benefits Mean and Is It the Arrangement for You?” Brides, www.brides.com/what-does-friends-with-benefits-mean-1021859. Accessed 23 Feb 2021.

Author: Kunnika Kaewwijit