Review: No Strings Attached

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No Strings Attached

Ivan Reitman has a directorial history of examining hypothetical, but impossible situations. He's brought us professional ghost hunters, a male pregnancy, a regular guy breaking up with Supergirl, and now in No Strings Attached he looks at the mythical conceit of friends having sex outside the bonds of a relationship, aka "friends with benefits."

I'm not sure I could have thought of a more unlikely pair than Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Each plays a caricature of their own personalities. Portman is a serious, studious, and no-nonsense personality. Kutcher is, well Ashton Kutcher. Meeting first at summer camp as teens, the pair run into each other again and again in random places and become friends, with Kutcher's Adam having a solid crush on Portman's Emma the entire time.

When they finally, inevitably, end up in bed together, the sex is great, and Emma, who has always had a fear of emotional attachment, offers Adam an arrangement to become sex buddies. It is clear by this point that the two are already in a relationship, but they refuse to admit it. Through the continuing emotional ups and downs, they grow closer until it finally reaches a breaking point, and they each have to deal with their feelings.

Along for the ride in No Strings Attached are a fantastic cast of supporting characters including Kevin Kline as Adam's has-been star father, complete with catch-phrase. Cary Elwes is in a very reserved role as Emma's boss and the object of her admiration, Dr. Metzner. Ludacris as one of Kutcher's close friends, bar owner Wallace, has some of the best comedic material in the film.

That was one thing I enjoyed about No Strings Attached. Reitman takes a very simple and sometimes deep love story and peppers it with enough humor to keep it interesting. The "period mix" earned some of best laughs I've gotten from a movie in a while.

I've never been a Kutcher fan, and I think as he ages, he will need to shed the dumb kid routine and find some niche as a leading man. This movie feels like the beginning of a transition to that eventuality as he plays a more serious and focused version of himself. I was pleased to find I enjoyed No Strings Attached much more than I ever expected.

I totally agree with this

I totally agree with this review. I would like to add however, I was disappointed with the ending. It seamed a little lame to me and the fiend I was with when I saw it. I am not typicaly an Ashton Kutcher fan but, did enjoy this movie.