5 Movies Like Friends With Benefits That You'll Love
There's nothing quite like a good romantic comedy. Whether you want to laugh or cry, there's no shortage of great films to enjoy. Friends with Benefits, the 2011 film starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, has become a favorite of rom-com lovers all over. As Kunis' and Timberlake's Jaimie and Dylan, respectively, try to have a physical relationship without falling into an emotional one, they quickly discover they are unable to ignore their true feelings for each other. Unsurprisingly, drama, hijinks, and laughter ensue.
The film was a success at the box office, earning nearly $150 million worldwide and showing just how much of an appetite film-goers have for relatable rom-coms — especially ones that show just how tricky it is to fall in love with a friend. We've complied a list of some of our favorite films that every romance lover should watch if they're looking for that same happy feeling Friends With Benefits provides.
No Strings Attached
No Strings Attached, another 2011 release, debuted just six months before Friends With Benefits, and has the same premise: two friends try to have casual sex and, of course, find their emotions start to get in the way. The film stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher as Emma and Adam, childhood friends who later reconnect as adults. Emma, a doctor, says she has no time for a relationship, and is the one who proposes she and Adam begin their "no strings attached" relationship. The film's screenplay was written by Elizabeth Merriwether, who went on to create rom-com TV legend New Girl, and the film's clever dialogue proves it.
Mindy Kaling, Ludacris, Greta Gerwig, and Jake Johnson are among the incredible supporting cast, adding even more fun to an already entertaining film. While No Strings Attached may not have been as highly reviewed as Friends With Benefits, we still count it among the best rom-coms of the early 2010s.
When Harry Met Sally
Of course, we can't discuss films about friends falling in love without When Harry Met Sally. This Nora Ephron classic, released in 1989, still holds up today. It tells the story of Sally (Meg Ryan) and Harry (Billy Crystal), who are just friends, nothing more — until one day, they aren't. This film is considered a classic, recognized by the American Film Institute as the #6 Romantic Comedy of All Time, and with a 91 percent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear the acclaim is near-universal. It's impossible not to love the film's honest, yet heartwarming, depiction of how messy relationships can be.
The film's famed Katz's Delicatessen scene, with its "I'll have what she's having" line, was listed as #33 on AFI'S 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list of memorable lines. When Harry Met Sally's gorgeous New York City landscape, incredible late 1980s fashion, and amazing performances (including the late, great Carrie Fisher) make this film one to revisit time and time again.
My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding stars '90s box office royalty Julia Roberts as Jules. Upon discovering that her best friend Michael (Dermott Mulroney) is getting married, Jules realizes she's in love with him. She makes it her mission to sabotage his wedding to wealthy Chicago socialite Kimmy (Cameron Diaz), and is forced to learn a lot about herself along the way. With an incredible cast and incredible soundtrack, including a fresh new version of Dione Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer For You," the 1997 film was an instant hit.
In 2019, the lead cast of Roberts, Mulroney, Diaz, and Rupert Everett reunited for a special Entertainment Weekly cover shoot, delighting fans. The stars clearly love the film themselves, with Roberts saying she "thought [the film] was really clever and just funny."
Everett has shared fond memories of the film, too, saying, "Everybody clicked on screen straightaway, and you could feel that. And for me, it was magical."
10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, holds up as one of the best teen rom-coms of all time. Marked by the charm, talent, and good looks of the incredible Heath Ledger, the film is a loose retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. An adorably young Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Cameron, a lovesick teen who pays Ledger's Patrick to take out bad-girl Kat (Julie Stiles) so that her father will allow him to date her younger sister, Bianca.
The film's soundtrack is a celebration of '90s teen culture, especially paying tribute to the Seattle grunge scene, the city where the film takes place. With its humor, feminist messaging, and incredible star power, it's no wonder Entertainment Weekly named it one of the Best High School Movies in 2012. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shared his fond memories of the film on Twitter, saying he'll "never forget that summer, making that movie with such wonderful people."
Always Be My Maybe
Always Be My Maybe tells the tale of childhood friends turned teen lovers who lose touch, only to reconnect as adults and discover there is still something between them. Starring the always funny Ali Wong and Randall Park, this Netflix original quickly wowed audiences — and not just because of Keanu Reeves' incredible, hilarious portrayal of a fictionalized version of himself.
The film made waves, as romantic films with two Asian American leads have long been regrettably lacking from Hollywood, especially one where the characters' ethnicities are not a plot point, as is the case here. However, it's the film's humor and heart that make it so memorable. Always Be My Maybe found major success as a streaming film with a limited theatrical release; it was viewed by over 32 million households in its first four weeks of release. For those who often wonder "What if?" about lost childhood loves, Always Be My Maybe is a great watch to further indulge those fantasies.