In any romantic comedy, you know how it will end. That is just a given. But it’s the way it is told and how believable the performances are, and if their chemistry is good enough that separates the good from the bad. In No Strings Attached, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman do a nice job keeping the interest alive and their chemistry is actually quite strong.
Director Ivan Reitman (Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters) gets a boost of energy by getting raunchy and pushing this rom-com in to an R-rated movie. It was a smart move and by not playing it too safe, the movie gets more freedom than usual. But the best move of all by Reitman was getting Portman to be a part of this. Without her, it wouldn’t have been the same and not nearly as good.
Emma (Portman) and Adam (Kutcher) meet as kids at a camp. Over 10 years later, they meet at a college party. Then we finally get to the present and they meet again. Who would have thought? But even when they were kids, Emma was scared of commitment and thought no one could stay in love forever. On the other hand, Adam is optimistic and happy almost all the time. He can see the good in a situation, and she can only see the negative.
Out of convenience, Adam and Emma decide to have a physical relationship. And nothing else. No cuddling and no eating breakfast together in the morning. Just sex. And it works great for a while. Whenever she calls, he comes running to her work, house, his car, and everywhere in between. But if you thought this would continue without one of them falling in love then you do not know what a rom-com is all about. As one begins to fall for the other, the other starts to get scared. I am sure you can guess who is who.
Sometimes in movies like No Strings Attached, the supporting cast can either be one-dimensional, dull or just plain annoying. But this movie has a great one but none of them are used correctly. Ludacris, Jake M. Johnson, Olivia Thirlby, Mindy Kaling, Greta Gerwig, and Kevin Kline show real potential and have some funny scenes, but their screen time isn’t long enough so their chances are limited. Kline may get the most time playing Adam’s famous father who likes to have his son’s sloppy seconds.
However, the movie rests on the shoulders of Kutcher and Portman. Kutcher hasn’t picked the best roles in movies. Last year, Valentine’s Day was terrible but I actually thought Killers wasn’t too bad for what it was and it wasn’t much. But he redeems himself a little in this by playing the nice guy who believes in love. But I am sure it is easy to pretend to fall in love with a woman like Portman.
Portman plays Emma with concern and nervousness about life and love. She doesn’t want to take the risk of falling in love. It’s not for her or so she thought. Portman has come back in style with an Oscar nominated performance in Black Swan and even in No Strings Attached, she shines. She gets your attention and steals your heart. She is talented and beautiful, and makes this movie better than it should be. In the end, the movie is a nice surprise with some laughs and good performances. Oh and Portman is in it.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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