Mike Samonek and Elizabeth Meriwether’s story is very ordinary but the film is spiced up in the screenplay that depicts a lot of sex. The idea of a couple coming together only for carnal pleasures is not unique but the writers have tried, unsuccessfully, to bring out the humour in such a situation. Many, except maybe a few teenaged girls, will not appreciate seeing an almost naked Ashton Kutcher in the first few reels of the film swingtowns coupon. Moreover, Elizabeth Meriwether’s screenplay is not very exciting. A few comical interludes apart, the film ends up being a cheesy re-telling of a love story that’s been told many times over before in cinema. The latter half of the film gets even more boring as Emma and Adam start having feelings for each other. What happens suddenly that makes them behave so is not clear to the audience. The second half also bores the audience with fake emotional scenes. However, the film will appeal to adolescents as it is purportedly based on the idea that only sexual relationships without strings attached are okay. The film’s dialogues are excellent at places and strictly average at most others.
Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman do average jobs. Ashton hams away to glory while Natalie is clearly ill at ease playing her character. In fact, the character actors in the cast do a far better job than the lead actors. Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Ludacris and Jake M. Johnson are memorable. The girl gang — Greta Gerwig, Olivia Thirlby, Mindy Kaling, Talia Balsam and Ophelia Lovibond — provide able support. Lake Bell (as Adam’s boss) is the pick of the lot for her fine performance.
Direction, Music and Editing � No Strings Attached Review
Ivan Reitman’s direction is nothing to write home about. Maybe it would have been the case, were the goings-on convincing enough. By and large, the film entertains little beyond offering a few laughs. John Debney’s background score is okay. Rogier Stoffers’ camerawork is functional. Editor Dana E. Glauberman could have done with a few more cuts in the second half.
Natalie Portman’s first comedy of the year, and a return to the big screen for director Ivan Reitman. But is No Strings Attached any good?
2011 looks like it may be the year that Natalie Portman follows up her award-worthy performance in Black Swan with the Ivan Reitman directed romantic comedy No Strings Attached, pairing a serious and more �worthy’ film with something fluffier, presumably to cleanse herself of all the psychological trauma and baggage that comes with playing a demented ballerina. This has come to be known (by me) as the �Coens gambit’. The alternating of tones, I mean. Not the ballerina thing.
Portman’s co-star is Ashton Kutcher, who is, of course, famous both for being Bruce Willis’s son (apologies to Ricky Gervais) and for irritating other celebrities in MTV prank show Punk’d.
He glosses over the basic flaws in the script and makes it seem like the idea of a couple of people having sex all the time will be interesting enough for the audiences
(A quick digression: the print of No Strings Attached I saw was accompanied by the trailer for Justin Bieber’s upcoming 3D concert film Never Say Never, a surprise that was met with audibly pained gasps of horror from the audience. The Kutcher-helmed Punk’d finished in 2007, but it was recently announced that the concept was due to be revived and reimagined, Batman Begins-style, with a new presenter at the helm, Justin Bieber. Such is the intricate tapestry of asinine 21st century pop bullshit.)