No Strings Attached

 

So I'm fully aware that a lot of people may not like my assessment of this film, but I can't help but feel unimpressed.  

This film is about two old friends that simply use each other for sex without any relationship obligations. The two, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher), discover their real feelings for each other even though they try to maintain this "no strings attached" facade.  

From the very beginning of the film, it is quite obvious that Adam will be the attached one who wants more than just sex and Emma will be the one with serious commitment issues.  Now, the thing that I felt was seriously left out, was why Emma was the one with the issues.  They clearly show you Adam's screwed up relationship with his father and lack of a mother authority.  But they barely touch upon Emma's familial history.  Yet she is the one who can't commit.  Why?  It isn't explained.  It's barely touched upon.  Even when she finally talks to her mother, the explanation doesn't seem worthy of Emma's fear.  It's almost as if the writers figured they needed something about Emma and just threw the scene in for five minutes to placate the audience.  It wasn't deep rooted and I didn't sympathize in any way for Emma.  

     

Portman was bland in her comedy scenes as well.  Every time she cursed I felt like she was apologizing to God in her head for the blasphemy.  It wasn't convincing at all.  Also, Portman was supposed to play the in command woman in their relationship and I didn't really feel the power from her.  It felt more like she was saying the words,  but she wasn't really feeling them.  This makes sense when she actually loves him and wants to turn him away, but in the beginning of the sex relationship, even then, she didn't have the power in her.  I think that would have been very important at least in the beginning.

On a more positive note with Portman, she did the emotional scenes decently, as did Ashton Kutcher.  He never completely stands out to me however - there was something missing in his attachment.  I couldn't pin point exactly what it was, maybe more heart perhaps, I don't know.  Let's just say I won't be swooning after him anytime soon.  And that is vital for a romantic male lead.  Look back on the P.S. I Love You days.  I still love Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, so much so, that I want to go to Ireland and find one for myself, as unrealistic as that is.   

As for the dialogue, nothing original, definitely forced vulgarity and some cheesy lines.  "If you come any closer I'll never let you go."  I didn't buy it.  It also doesn't help when your sitting beside some very obnoxious girls saying things out loud to the screen like "Kiss him!" or "Oh my gosh this is too cute for me to handle!"  All I could think was, shoot me now.  And I'm not exaggerating on what they said.      

Ultimately, this film was common.  The kind of film you see yourself saying "eh" as you shrug your shoulders.  Not worth seeing twice.
So if you want a one night stand with this film, never to be looked back on, then I recommend it as a light romantic comedy, that does the job for one night of distraction.   

I give this film 6.8/10 for keeping me distracted for about 2 hours.