Romantic comedies regularly share common tropes, themes, and the same actors in different roles, yet the two romantic comedies, also known as twin films, replicate the same storyline. Released in 2011, Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, was released six months after No Strings Attached in July. Although these two rom-coms share an identical plot depicting the conventional friends to lovers trope, both films also include differences to somewhat distinctively set each other apart, yet one movie stood out more than the other.

No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits explore two different friendships, as both pairs agree to a casual, physical relationship, omitting any emotional ties or serious commitments. These two romantic comedies perfectly mirror each other, depicting the same story about the complexities of navigating a non-committed relationship, yet the only minimal differences are the characters, setting, and character dynamics. The continuous debate about which rom-com did better substantially speaks for itself with opposite Rotten Tomatoes scores, box office numbers, and various reviews. Friends With Benefits meets the expectations of a well-constructed film, as No Strings Attached fails to satisfy viewers.

Friends With Benefits Was Better Received Than No Strings Attached

Friends With Benefits has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score

Friends With Benefits perfectly captured the tone and humor of a raunchy rom-com, earning a better reception than No Strings Attached. Both films’ box office numbers worldwide nearly earned similar quantities, yet Friends With Benefits was considered a more preferable watch. No Strings Attached premiered on January 21, 2011, raking at $149.2 million and a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Friends With Benefits sured premiering on July 22, 2011, bringing in $149.5 million, earning a 69% score. Both romantic comedies are another addition to the twin film category, which includes other identical films with the same shared concept.

Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached
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Two films coexisting in the same year sharing related narratives is a common trend, as other films have experienced the same fate, including 2007’s Knocked Up and Juno, highlighting unexpected pregnancies, 2024’s The First Omen and Immaculate, religious horror films, and 2006’s The Prestige and The Illusionist revolved around magic, love, and tragedy. Friends With Benefits received mixed reviews, but was considered more fun to watch, praising Timberlake and Kunis’ comedic performances. No Strings Attached had its potential but was critiqued for its hastiness and cheesy writing, indifferent to Friends With Benefits, which further excelled and met the rom-com standards.

What Friends With Benefits Did Better Than No Strings Attached

Friends With Benefits is a superior rom-com

Friends With Benefits effortlessly replaced characters Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) from the Ivan Reitman-directed No Strings Attached with leads that were more charismatic and amusing, delivering great comedic timing for an entertaining rom-com. No Strings Attached failed to impress viewers due to the lack of character development, humor, and a predictable romantic storyline which fell flat. Friends With Benefits is also predominantly set in New York, an ideal location for a romantic comedy, including iconic landmarks, Big Apple aesthetics, and flash mobs, which were relevant in 2011 and a fun addition to the film, later used as a romantic gesture by Dylan (Justin Timberlake).

The chemistry between Timberlake and Kunis was much more organic.

Friends With Benefits is a well-rounded romantic comedy, in contrast to No Strings Attached, which underperformed. Friends With Benefits is the superior film due to funnier material, stronger character dynamics, and believable chemistry between both leads. Although the stories are identical, Friends With Benefits has more engaging storylines revolving around Dylan and Jamie (Mila Kunis) first developing a friendship after both experienced bad breakups, while also exploring the realistic, emotional complications of non-committed physical relationships. The chemistry between Timberlake and Kunis was much more organic and created a natural connection between their characters, which makes the film more watchable.