No Strings Attached

No Strings Attached


The Factors: This is a modern day comical romance set in Los Angeles. Natalie Portman plays the role of the hot temptress, Emma. Ashton Kutcher in the typical guy role of Adam. Kevin Kline stars as Adam’s father, Alvin. In lesser roles, Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Ludacris, and Mindy Kaling were cast as friends and co-workers.

The Situations: The movie opens with Adam and Emma in a candid juvenile conversation about their relationship situation, or lack thereof. It jumps to years later with Adam and Emma reuniting at a college party. Adam is caught up in a late night drinking binge and wakes up with no clothes on, amongst a house full of strangers and friends. This is the beginning of the sexual exploits and arrangements with Adam and Emma. Even with the convenient ground rules, yet given the intimacy they fall for each other. These two must balance the input of their friends, family, and work schedules.

More Please: Alvin is a retired entertainment celebrity and pursues his son’s leftover women. His fatherly advice and actions help to clarify why Adam is the way he is. Kevin Kline nails his performance. The interactions with Adam and the women in their lives keeps viewers glued to their seats even after the credits begin to roll. The supporting actors in this film made it the comedy and story it was intended to be. Ashton Kutcher IS Adam. It’s as if they wrote Adam’s script around Kutcher. No other actor could have filled this role as well as Kutcher. If only we could have expanded on the Period Mix album Adam gave to Emma….

What We Missed: Failing to fall in love with the leads makes for a rough movie in the end. We enjoy the interaction and humor, but we don’t love Emma and Adam as characters. The supporting cast filled much of the leads’ void. Natalie Portman didn’t deliver in “No Strings Attached” like she did in her sexual role in “Black Swan”. The humor started from the opening scene and the theatre was rolling for the first half of the film, but then came to an abrupt stop and we were left with a romance absent the comedy. The drastic change in acting, writing, and performance was too much of a swing.

In The End: “No Strings Attached” was fun. It is ideal for the 17 year-old high school seniors out for a date night. This movie was better than expected and with the laughable moments I enjoyed the two hours at the theatre. The sex scenes warrant the R rating. If you enjoy “Glee”, “Break Up”, or “Superbad” then this might be the best Friday night movie option. “No Strings Attached” will pull 4 out of 5 Cyclones from this critic.