No Strings Attached

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Greta Gerwig, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A girl (Natalie Portman) and a guy (Ashton Kutcher) agree to have a completely physical relationship with no strings attached. As they continue their relationship though, feelings start to creep in, which complicates matters.

Review:

Tim: I was really disappointed with No Strings Attached. I actually thought this might have been an enjoyable movie. It featured a provocative story, starred Natalie Portman, and was directed by Ivan Reitman. Unfortunately, the film is a complete mess and a disappointing, silly affair.

The biggest problem with the movie is simply that we never care about the main characters. They are developed, but not developed to the point where we would actually feel like they are real people whom we may want to get in their corner. They seem like flawed, one-dimensional characters who always stay at a distance and never cross the threshold to our hearts. They are unmemorable characters. That's the biggest problem with the film.

Natalie Portman gives a decent performance, but her character was just weakly written. About halfway through the film, I thought to myself, "I wonder when we'll learn 'why she is the way she is' and, sure enough, the film gave us a conventional, cliched explanation. I never liked Portman's character, and therefore, I never cared what happened to her. Ashton Kutcher isn't much better. He certainly tries to turn on the charm, but he just seems like a weak doofus. I never liked his character, and therefore, I cared not at all about his happiness. Kutcher and Portman weren't especially good together. They did have a few great moments, but for the most part, I felt like they were miscast together. I didn't like them on screen and I didn't believe in their relationship. These are fatal flaws for a romantic comedy.

The supporting cast was actually surprisingly strong. I loved seeing Kevin Kline as Kutcher's dad. Unfortunately, he was saddled with the "comic relief" aspect of the film, shoveling gross out, stupid humor towards us. I didn't like his character, but I loved seeing him here regardless. I also was glad to see Cary Elwes, but I wish he had something (okay, anything!) to do in the film. He was wasted. Mindy Kaling was also welcome, but I wish she could have added more.

I just found No Strings Attached a fairly unlikable movie. None of the characters were people you cared about, which made the whole thing feel moot. The story is incredibly predictable (they get together, break up, get back together) and unfolds without any real surprises. It felt like a retread of many other movies, although spiced up "R" rated humor (mostly of which felt pointless and pandering).

I'm not denying that there are some funny moments throughout the film. In a comedy like this, some of the jokes will undoubtedly connect. However, a few humorous moments don't make up for bad characters, a boring story, or a complete inability to connect with the audience on an emotional level. Ivan Reitman should know better at this point. No Strings Attached is a boring, forgettable film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



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