No Strings Attached
01/23/11 | Movies, Reviews | 0 Comments
Romantic comedies are a dime-a-dozen, though sometimes you find a diamond in the rough. Yes, you’re all groaning at my use of clichés, but this movie was so darn CUTE that I really need to wax a little poetic right now.
Adam (Ashton Kutcher, The Butterfly Effect and Killers) and Emma (Natalie Portman, Black Swan and V for Vendetta) meet when they’re teenagers at summer camp. Adam tears up because his parents are getting a divorce and Emma makes an awkward attempt to comfort him, then Adam asks if he can finger her and Emma says no. Cut to 10 years later when they meet again at a frat party. They agree to go on a “date” the next day, which Emma fails to mention is actually her father’s funeral. They meet once more four years later when Emma moves to his city for her medical residency, then again a year later when Adam gets really drunk and wakes up naked on her living room couch.
That’s where the story really starts. After a hurried hookup in her room, they decide to be friends with benefits, to make themselves available at all hours of the day for the other to use on a purely sexual basis. They have rules: no arguing, no getting jealous, and no falling in love. This latter proves especially difficult as the weeks progress… until things get a little too heated.
Natalie Portman is stellar as usual. But who knew she could be so FUNNY? Watching her get drunk at a holiday party and saunter out to hail a cab, then scare a couple of girls out of Adam’s apartment who she TOLD him to sleep with to begin with… believe me, it makes perfect sense when you watch it! But more than her comedic turn, Natalie maintains your sympathy as someone scared to open herself to love in fear of getting hurt.
Ashton Kutcher has been in a number of romantic comedies, yet I think that the character of Adam had enough depth to put this performance on another level. I know he can be a serious actor because of his role in The Butterfly Effect (if you haven’t seen this movie, RENT IT IMMEDIATELY!), so I always give him the benefit of the doubt when he releases a new movie. He’s been pigeonholed into this genre, which can start to get old after a while, but he manages to portray a guy with morals, a sense of humor, and a deep seeded need to be loved.
What really stands out the movie is the writing. An incredibly heartwarming yet witty exchange between the characters that had me laughing throughout. Never a dull moment, the 110 minute movie seems to speed by and leaves you wishing for more.
Definitely recommended! Go check it out!
8/10
Until next…
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