NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Lifelong friends Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) attempt to avoid falling in love after falling into each other's beds in this comedy exploring the complexities and quirks of having friends with benefits. Adam was a typical, hormonal 14 year old when he first came on to Emma at summer camp -- and got shot down in flames. In the years that followed, however, Adam and Emma continued to cross paths until eventually, they both caved to their animal instincts. Despite an intense session of earth-shaking sex, however, Emma makes it clear to Adam that the last thing she wants is a committed relationship. And thanks to the fact that Adam's father (Kevin Kline), a fallen television star, has just begun dating his son's ex-girlfriend, the horrified bachelor has developed an aversion to monogamy as well. At first their casual stance on sex worked great for both; Emma could focus on her career instead of allowing her emotions to dictate her decisions, and Adam could play the field without fear of hurting her feelings. Over, time, however, a funny thing happened -- Adam began to develop feelings for Emma that he never had for any of his countless conquests. Before they both know it, love has reared its ugly head and they've gotten too emotionally involved to cut the relationship off cold. But is commitment in the cards for the couple that always swore it would never get serious, or has the time come for them to finally part ways once and for all? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Cary Elwes.
Release Date: Jan 21, 2011
Rated R for Sexual content, language and some drug content
Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Review:
Rom-com movies can be good when you have a smart script and a cast that focused. No String Attached is not one of those films. The worst part of it is that at its base it’s got an interesting conceit that could be something interesting fresh. Instead it’s the recycled beaten to death cliché you expect from the worst offenders in the genre. The script attempts to be edgy by being raunchy but it can’t mask what is just horrible comedy writing. Jokes fall flat throughout delivering only the slightest chuckle occasionally which is mostly due to the supporting cast. Natalie Portman seems to be having a good time, slumming it in a genre dominated by Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Anniston. She does a passable job but it seems more like she just needed her palette cleaned after The Black Swan. Ashton Kutcher curious ability to continue to find work as a leading man especially with this performance as he sleep walks through his scenes. It’s so bad that when he delivers the “big” line at the end of the film it carries all the weight of a feather. Making matters worse is that Portman and Kutcher share zero chemistry on screen and their characters are unbelievably matched. The supporting cast fare slightly better and make the more painful portions of this dreadful film slightly watchable. Even with that it’s hard to keep from wanting to douse your face in acid once this overlong film comes to an end.
D-
