the Mila Kunis version of this story is better

Not that either No Strings Attached or Friends with Benefits is all that great, but the Kunis-Timberlake version has a few more things going for it. For starters, Kutcher really can't act. Not that Timberlake is a great actor, but he does comedy OK. The basic issue is that Kunis is much better at comedy than Portman. Portman has the Oscar and the chops to play the more serious roles, but her comedies aren't great. Somehow the roles that ought to be easier, the ones that are simpler, are the ones she cannot handle.