perkypops

24 May 2012

A role reversal that gets in the way

The moment this film sets out to present a girl's idea of what a manwould desire most - an ongoing, no strings, purely sexual relationshipwith a beautiful woman - we see the flaws in this premise as adesirable arrangement either sex could make last for any length oftime. And what this screenplay does best is to highlight how we try toprotect ourselves from risk by whatever method we think works best.Although the script does a reasonable job with the flaws it reallydoesn't explain how such a premise could even enter someone's headwithout there being a string attached, no matter how flawed theircharacter is.But the idea provokes a fairly entertaining series of episodes wherethe leads Emma (Portman) and Adam (Kutcher) test each other to thepoint of distraction, the only difference to an ordinary romance beingthe falsehood constructed at the very start of the relationship.The acting is largely good with a range of characters to ease usthrough the episodes that zig-zag us around the houses in a chase thathas one of two endings - either they have a proper relationship or theydon't, and long before the end we know the sex only thing is notworking.So we have to work quite hard to get to the conclusion but it is apleasant enough duty to perform with Portman and Olivia Thirlby asKatie being the star turns. It is good enough to want to see again butnot so great you'll regret it if you don't.Six out of ten.

Tony Heck

23 May 2012

A very funny chick-flick that both men and women will enjoy. Nothing new but still very entertaining. I say B+

Can you really ever be just "friends with benefits"? After a drunkenadventure ends with Adam (Kutcher) naked on Emma's (Portman) couch theydecide to strike a deal. When Adam wants something more the problemsbegin. This is a chick flick that many guys will also enjoy. A littlemore girlie then I was expecting, but still a really, really funnymovie. The movie is pretty raunchy in some parts and you will find itdifficult not to laugh. If you are looking for a chick flick that yourboyfriend/husband will watch with you this is a great choice. If youare looking for a movie for your girlfriend/wife that will not be twohours of torture for you this is a great choice. Very, very funny forboth sexes, enough romance for the ladies, and enough comedy for themen. A perfect movie for date night. A little predictable, but mostromantic comedies are. I give it a B+.Would I watch again? - I actually would.*Also try - Going The Distance & Love And Other Drugs

franciscoraposo72

23 May 2012

Normal Movie

Normal chick flick with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Boringmovie, with no funny scenes, definitely Ivan Reitman worst movie untilnow. A lot of the scenes are stupid, specially when Emma (NataliePortman) calls the two girls that were in Adam's (Ashton Kutcher) househas pumpkin, just make the two girls get out, but there's other stupidscenes. The only scenes that were truly funny were the scenes withVanessa (Ophelia Lovibond) and Alvin (Kevin Cline) specially thehospital scene. This movie has one or two funny scenes, there are goodactors and bad performances, the best characters are Lucy (Lake Bell),Patrice (Greta Gerwig), Eli (Jake M. Johnson) and Shira (MindyKelling). All I have to say is that this movie is boring, long andstupid, it's the new way to do romantic comedies, now they did the samewith Friends with Benefits.

Colin George

22 May 2012

Nothing Attached

Romantic comedies need a good kick in the pants, and an aging IvanReitman ain't the guy to do it. "No Strings Attached," the first of atleast three 2011 films about non-committal sex (with "Friends withBenefits" and "Hall Pass" in hot pursuit), is only sparsely amusing andnever insightful. Big surprise. Who would have guessed that a64-year-old director would be the wrong choice for a movie about hippeople half his age? "No Strings Attached" might have been a decentfilm had it followed through on its premise, but that it falls victimto just about every romcom trapping negates the most potentiallyinteresting thing it has going for it.Everyone involved has proved themselves elsewhere. Reitman directedlegendary '80s comedies "Stripes" and "Ghostbusters" before churningout a string of stinkers, including "My Super Ex Girlfriend" in 2006.Stars Natalie Portman (Emma) and Ashton Kutcher (Adam) are similarlydefenseless against the lousy script. For my money, Portman still puton the best performance of 2010 in "Black Swan," and by comparison herturn here is particularly disappointing. Kutcher is the weakest link,but has consistently proved he can hold his own in otherwise lame duckcomedies like "Valentine's Day."But between the bad direction, worse script, and lazy performances, "NoStrings Attached" is a triple threat. Its worst blunder is that Emmaand Adam's relationship is unbelievable, and their chemistry isnonexistent. Fledgling screenwriter Elizabeth Meriwether posits afemale lead that flip-flops her stance on monogamy every two scenes,and Portman doesn't even attempt to sell it. Emma comes off pragmaticone minute and off her rocker the next. It makes less sense still giventhat her relationship with Adam isn't anything special to begin with.The B- romance between Greta Gerwig and Jake M. Johnson, friends of ourprinciple couple, is actually markedly more naturalistic andcompelling. It's a shame they're on screen so infrequently.Meriwether's script is also criminally overlong. Two-hour comedies needto die a slow and painful death; there's just no reason "No StringsAttached" should exceed the 100-minute mark. What's worse, the audiencehas little expectation for when the film will end. More than once, apicturesque finale will align only for Emma to inexplicably get coldfeet. Or Adam's father to take ill. The bait and tease might work ifthe better-late-than-never conclusion defied expectation, but in alllikelihood you already know exactly how it will end. The biggestsurprise is how much melodramatic filler we have to wade through on theway."No Strings Attached," like last year's mediocre "Love and Other Drugs"articulates the pressing need for innovation in Hollywood's romanticcomedies. Depicting a relationship built on causal sex isn't especiallyprogressive, and Ivan Reitman isn't one of the directors I'm especiallyinterested in seeing discuss sexuality. Then again, he barely clearshis throat on the subject; for a film about sex, "No Strings Attached"is pretty much sterile despite its R rating. Intellectually, the filmis a solid PG-13. Our characters generally don't behave with the nuanceexpected of two 30-year-olds, and Meriwether relies on decrepit genrearchetypes rather than cause and effect to progress the plot.All told, Reitman's latest is unworthy of recommendation despitefalling short of being an outright waste of time. It does feature a fewgenuinely funny moments that help excuse its crippling formula, but itnever asserts itself or challenges the classic romantic comedyblueprint as much as its premise might indicate. Reitman deserves akick in the pants every bit as much as the genre.

danew13

21 May 2012

Longtime Friends Agree to Sex Only Relationship

"When Harry Met Sally" has proved to be the moral template for most oftoday's romantic comedies, with the key classic statement: "Men andwomen can't be friends because the sex thing always gets in the way."In "No Strings Attached" Ashton Kutcher, who has become a sort ofunofficial rom/com king, has finally realized a successful romanticconclusion after a series of poorly written film finales.The jist of this film is simple and predictable. Kutcher and NataliePortman were childhood friends who meet while in college and then laterall in the space of 15 years.Portman, who has emotional issues, only wants a sexual involvement,which Kutcher agrees to. Of course the obvious happens and leads to aromantic and happy conclusion.There is also supporting help from Kevin Klein and Lake Bell. But, thechemistry and honesty between the leads is what puts this flick a bitabove most of the Jennifer Aniston style rom/coms. Even so, No Stringsisn't heavy going...just a nice date film.

preiss-buckner

21 May 2012

Dreadful.

As a man, I'll complain to an expected level every time about having towatch romantic comedies with my wife, but I can admit that I find mostof them fairly enjoyable in the end.Not so much with this one.This movie brought to mind two movies from the late '80s, not becauseof any similarity in content.The first was "Funny Farm." When Chevy Chase's wife reads the firstchapter of his manuscript, it's so bad that she actually cries beforeripping it to shreds in an honest critique.I don't know how this wasn't everyone's reaction to this script. It wasjust all over the place. The connection between Portman and Kutcher'scharacters is never close to believable, and the rest of the charactersadd nothing. Add in a ton of crudity presented with all the subtlety of"Beavis and Butt-Head" (and I say this as a big fan of that show, but Ithink this movie fancies itself as better than that), and it just leftme scratching my head. I'm not an expert on the process of makingfilms, but it seems like there are plenty of places along the way torecognize a real stinker. How was this movie ever made? The other movie that came to mind was "Steel Dawn," with PatrickSwayze. What the heck was Swayze doing in that movie, after "DirtyDancing"? The same goes with all the big names in this one. I noticedthat Natalie Portman was an executive producer, so she had to, I guess,but what is everyone else's excuse? What were Kutcher, Kline, and CaryElwes (in a non-existent role in which he was practicallyunrecognizable) thinking? Even Ludicrous (I know how his name is reallyspelled, but it's fixing it for me), who is still working to establishhimself as an actor, was too good for this one.There just wasn't a thing endearing about this film. I was shocked tocome here and see that so many people liked it. Maybe I just don't getit.The worst part? My wife keeps forgetting to take the disc back to RedBox, so we're still paying a buck a day to have it in our home. I needto call her right now.

MHMovieReviews

20 May 2012

Strings of Awkward Romantic Comedy

Natalie Portman comes out of award season on top with her numerous BestActress Awards for her performance in "Black Swan" including theCritic's Choice Award, the Golden Globe Award and an Oscar in the nearfuture. Now she takes on the romantic comedy genre for the first timesince her 2004 hit "Garden State". Her costar Ashton Kutcher on theother hand is no stranger to the romantic comedy genre with most of hisrecent films falling into this genre ("Killers", "Valentine's Day", and"What Happens In Vegas"). Together they create comedy through theawkwardly realistic chemistry between their characters Emma and Adam.Their quirky relationship begins when they are both sexually frustratedteenagers at summer camp. This leads them to becoming acquaintancesthroughout the early years of their relationship until they are throwninto each other's lives for the last time. Emma is a successful doctorwho works eighty hours a week and is not looking for a relationship,while Adam is an aspired writer looking for a break working at a"gleeish" television show. Their latest encounter leads the two into asexual dilemma as they make a pact to enter into a relationship with"No Strings Attaches" in other words no commitment, just sex. However,eventually the strings have to be attached.The best part of the film is the surprisingly accurate and realisticinteractions that Emma and Adam together. They are definitely notfaking it as they recreate relationship situations by acting weirdaround each other, which is exactly what you do when you are in arelationship. Their supporting cast was also very important to theentertainment of the film and the theme of differentiation betweenrelationships. The most notable character being Kevin Klines portrayalof Adam's father Alvin as he dates his own son's ex-girlfriends. Thefilm is all about comedy aspect of all of these relationships andleaves out drama for the most part without totally forgetting about it.This does not change the fact that the film has a very touching endingno matter how cliché it is.If it wasn't for the great casting of Portman and Kutcher at the centerof the film creating superb chemistry all would be lost among everother rom-com. This is because the film isn't original at all. It isjust a basic Hollywoodized picture perfect romantic comedy, butsometimes a movie just barely lucks out when a couple stars are able tosalvage the overdone cliché storyline. Many may say that the film is too similar to the recent release of"Love and Other Drugs" just a few months ago. However, no matter howsimilar the basic plot structure of these two films is, they are verydifferent films. While "Love and Other Drugs" follows the purely sexualrelationship of its two main characters in the same way that "NoStrings Attached" does, it also delves into the realms of the genre ofdrama. On the other hand "No Strings Attached" avoids those depths andinstead relies on the awkward comedy of romantic see it now bliss.

20 May 2012

Fine Quality

This review is from: No Strings Attached (DVD) I absolutely love this movie for one, and in addition to that the dvd arrive new and in good condition. The ahipping was a little slow but everything was great overall.

KVolchok

16 May 2012

Portman is great, the rest not so much

In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) arelife-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning.In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep theirrelationship strictly "no strings attached." "No strings" means nojealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. Itmeans they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whateverpublic place they want, as long as they don't fall in love. Thequestions become - Can you have sex without love getting in the way?And can their friendship survive? Now, let me start this by saying that I'm a huge fan of NataliePortman. She's, in my opinion, the best actress out there, by a longshot. Every film she's in is that much better because of her and shehas given some amazing performances throughout her career. Suffice tosay I have seen everything she has done so far and felt obliged towatch No Strings Attached as well. However, I had really lowexpectations for this film. Let's be honest, comedies usually suck, letalone romantic comedies starring Ashton Kutcher. Honestly, I wasentertained by the film but it's your run of the mill rom-com. The plotis extremely predictable, the jokes for the most part are silly,childish and not clever at all, and the film uses the same formula ofevery comedy that has come from Hollywood in the last decade. There'seven the goofy sidekick to provide comic relief.Regarding the acting I thought Kutcher did an OK job but he never trulygives himself into the character. In short he was a bit wooden. Portmanon the other hand, can do no wrong. I think the reason why I was ableto somewhat enjoy the film was definitely her presence and with anyother actress this film would have been much worse. All in all, it's aformulaic rom-com that benefits from one of its lead actors but it'sstill a very weak effort.6.5/10

16 May 2012

Great Couples Flick!

This review is from: No Strings Attached [HD] (Amazon Instant Video) I love Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher has been good in all the movies I've seen him in. So I figured I'd check this one out. I was not disappointed. Romance w/ a bit of comedy. A great couples movie!

pricedominic

16 May 2012

the slightly more classier version of Friends with Benefits

I love Natalie Portman. I love Natalie Portman. I love Natalie Portman.Ever since Closer (for quite obvious reasons) she has had my attention,but she is one of these actors that captivate anyones attention,without ever having to say a word. She truly is one of the mostbeautiful women on the planet.Now let me stop obsessing over her, and talk about the film No StringsAttached. Adam (played by Ashton Kutcher) has just suffered thehumiliation of finding out that his ex girlfriend has dumped him forhis own father, and ends up contacting every girl in his phonebookuntil one of them agrees to have sex with him. This leads him back toan old school friend Emma (Natalie Portman). Although too drunk to gothrough with his intention in the evening, the morning after he andEmma decide to get it on as there is an instant connection. As Emma isa resident at a nearby hospital so therefore has no time for any kindof relationship, and has a history of not being able to let people getclose to her, she decides that a friends with benefits situation isbest for her. Adam obviously agrees to this (ermmmm who wouldn't?) andthe story leads from there. Obviously if you have watched any Rom-Com in the last 20 years you willknow exactly what happens at the end of this film, but i have to saythis film definitely has a freshness to it. The supporting cast(including Kevin Kline, Jake M Johnson (New Girl), and the very funnyLake Bell) help to boost the Com part of Rom-Com, which i always feelhelps when the Rom part doesn't have anything majorly unique includedin the storyline. All in all, a very decent Rom-Com acted by two very attractive actors(yes, even though i am a man, i am confident in myself enough to admitthat Ashton Kutcher is annoyingly attractive) If it was a choicebetween this or Friends with Benefits, i would watch both even thoughthey are pretty much the exact same film. Then again, if you take awaythe characters and look at the story lines of most Rom-Coms, aren'tthey all the same story???Thank you for reading :)P.S I love Natalie Portman.

skinnyrunnernerd

15 May 2012

Surprisingly lame and boring like the Kesha song Blow

I was actually surprised to see the 6.2 rating, which is stillrelatively low. Based on the quality of the writing, acting and overallfeel of the movie, it should be much lower.This movie reminds me of the Kesha song "Blow", which is surprisinglyboring despite all the hype and scandal that she thought were alreadyinjected into it (I thought her other songs were much better and wassurprised that a Kesha song called "Blow" would be a candidate forelevator muzak). This song is still a "hit" though, probably to thesame knuckle-draggers who gave this movie anything over a 5.1 For a world class armchair athlete like myself, after about the 10thjoke fell flat I essentially fell asleep and was like "why is thisalmost 2 hours long?" and "WTF is Ludicrous doing in this movie and whyis his part so lame?" and "What's with the creepy, typical loserfriend? That guy makes me want to puke." The whole concept that theAshton and Portman characters are "friends" doesn't make any sense.They never knew each other. They only met randomly a handful of timesand never developed a relationship until they decided to haveconvenient sex (which was only possible BECAUSE they were neverfriends...this contradicts the whole marketing campaign).The problem with this "pump and dump" strategy is Ashton turns out tobe too much of a cuddler for the clichéd "daddy issues" emotionalvacuum of the Portman "modern sexy woman" character. The movie doesn'tdevelop any of her emotional baggage but superficially it looks likethis character isn't that much different from her Black Swan character,ie. she is messed up. She clearly has family problems and isemotionally distant and disturbed. I didn't find her performance inthis movie any funnier than her wriggling, feather-plucking one inBlack Swan.I'm sick of these movies. Damaged people trying to have unattached sexto prove they don't have daddy issues is getting older than the oldladies smoking pot clichés that were rampant in the mid 2000s.Movies about nihilistic promiscuity are boring and you people should beashamed of yourselves.You dirty, filthy beasts.

rawvibes

14 May 2012

All Tied Up

Emma and Adam have known each other way back since they were kids atsummer camp. No matter what direction in Life they took, the two oftenfound themselves bumping into each other again and again. One hangoverafternoon Emma & Adam decided to use each other for sex. What they soonrealized is that friends make the worst booty calls but are the best inRelationships. The string they didn't want to be attached too, justhappened to tie them up in love. Kevin Kline and Ashton are a greatteam, they should do another film together like a father and son roadtrip. Queen Amidala a hoochie? At first it's gonna be hard to get useto, but it's cute, softhearted, funny Love Story. I'm not too much intoLovey-Dovey but this film made me laugh. 4 out of 5 stars

Abusimble1

14 May 2012

This film is against Islam and SHOULD BE BANNED!!

Asalaama Aaleikum, Besmaliah alRubai alRahaim!This review is not meant to be taken as facetious as I, by the grace ofAllah, am a Muslim. I reside in USA and have seen the commercial forthis film and it is utterly contemptible. The entire premise for thismovie is that morality should be forsaken for unfettered carnalhedonism. As a Muslim, I entreat other Muslims to shun this movie andreproach it with your brethren for the profligate behaviour itencourages. The USA is well past the point of condoning openlicentiousness. There is such a constant encouragement of suchbehaviours that it is now a mindset which is a part of everyone'sroutine. To the average citizen of USA, lasciviousness is as mundane aseating a meal and he is now a reprehensible animal that is unaware ofhis sordid lifestyle, having been desensitised to it.In any civilised society this film would be banned. It would not evenbe allowed to be made. Clearly any link we have with USA is severedwhen the latter promotes women's promiscuity. To be void of allsacrosanctness seems to be a goal that USA is vigourously and zealouslystriving for.There is something deeply wrong with this country. This film is theproof.Hastraringaara, 'Baseth Haveenagara. Kus tava deeian astaveen!

tanelteder

14 May 2012

Kelso won the heart of my golden girl

First of all, I have to say that this movie is sexy and funny. Butthese are not the main reasons why you should see this. Ashton Kutcherand Natalie Portman are the reason. Especially the latter. For me,Natalie Portman is the best actress around. I absolutely love her.Ashton Kutcher is one the best comedian and charismatic actors around.He is confident, good-looking and -talking, so it's a near perfectmatch. Although the subject in the movie is very much about sex, weactually see few scenes of actual sex on screen. But it doesn'tdecrease the value of the movie. What can I say is that, if there wouldbe any other two stars on the screen, the movie would get a lowerrating from me, but as I said, they have picked the best bits.Ashton Kutcher will almost certainly be remembered as Michael Kelsofrom the famous TV-series. A great character. And it's nice to see thathe has an excellent taste for women.

xJags

14 May 2012

This Romantic Comedy hits the spot.

I expected No Strings Attached to be a raunchy/romantic comedy and itwas really good as that. I love Natalie Portman's versatility as shejust did Black Swan and seeing her do well in this makes me a fan ofher and I respect her a lot. This is Ashton Kutcher's "home ground" andhe did good also. The movie had it fair share of laughs, it wasn'thilarious or fall off your chair laughing funny but it was funny. Ienjoyed the story lines behind each of the characters, it was nice towatch as each unfolds however the movie is a bit predictable which Ididn't really like. This quote stayed with me from the movie: "We don'tpick who we fall in love with and it never happens like it should" andit pretty much sums up this movie All in all,if you like the cast andin the mood for a romantic comedy then this is the movie for you!

10 May 2012

Great little love story! Made me smile, laugh, and cry.

This review is from: No Strings Attached (Amazon Instant Video) I thought this would be a cheesy movie with a few good moments and I was completely wrong. Typically, the man is a womanizer, a workaholic, etc. In this movie, the rolls are reversed. Natalie plays a doctor that is a workaholic who has a serious commitment phobia. She creates an odd friends with benefits relationship with Ashton, that backfires on her. Ashton plays a romantic who wants more out of the relationship and decides he doesn't want to play games anymore. The movie had a great flow. There were some funny moments, some sad moments, etc. I thought a couple of the kissing scenes were a little awkward/rushed, but other than that, the acting was great. When the credits start rolling, keep watching. There is still a little more to the story. Definitely a movie for adults. Lots of talk about guys' "d***s", sex, complicated relationships, one night stands, etc.

Christian_Dimartino

09 May 2012

A so so romantic comedy.

The first of many films Natalie Portman did in 2011 was No Stringsattached, a romantic comedy with a similar premise to a film calledLove and other drugs. This film stars Portman and Ashton Kutcher, andthat film starred Jake Gylenhaal and Anne Hathaway, and was better. ButNo Strings attached isn't bad, from Romantic comedy standards.Portman and Kutcher play old friends who bump into each other onenight, and then years later do the same, and then, during one meeting,they decide to be friends with benefits(that movie will be a rip off ofthis one). They will have no strings attached sex. But as they start todo this, Kutcher begins falling for her, but shes not really that intohim.The two leads are likable, and the movie is cutesy in its little way.But the supporting characters are the funny thing about it. No stringsattached has a couple of funny characters that make the film light up alittle.I sort of liked the movie, and compared to some other romantic comediesits decent. But it is cliché and predictable, but thats why allromantic comedies suffer. The two leads have chemistry though, and forthat, you should give no strings attached a go on DVD.B-

09 May 2012

It was much better than I expected

This review is from: No Strings Attached (Amazon Instant Video) True, I'd just finished watching the terrible film, Life As We Know It, and so my expectations were in the Pits of Hell but still...this was much better than I expected. Natalie Portman and Ashton had very little credible chemistry but the film was still pretty good. I did smile a few times and they were both individually charming.

DemiRonin

08 May 2012

This film is bad Bad bad! RomCom at its lowest denominator, neither funny nor tearjerking.

This film is bad Bad bad! RomCom at its lowest denominator, neitherfunny nor tearjerking. I'm am so angry that at how much money this filmmade but hardly surprised. Synopsis: This film stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher and I'mnot even gonna use their character names because you know the audienceand producers don't care. Ashton and Natalie meet as teens at a summercamp and Kutcher is immediately attracted. They meet again ten yearslater at a party and then Natalie is kinda attracted because Kutcherlet her use him as an excuse to get back at Natalie's mom...I guess??Then they meet again five years later and she is attracted to him more? Kutcher then is told that his old girlfriend is bonking his dad and hasbeen for a couple of months. Because of this trauma Kutcher wakes up inPortman's apartment and that morning they have sex. Which I don'tunderstand because the night before he acted like a drunken foolswinging his wang around in her face. I mean come on! What MIT medstudent would tolerate that? OK sure he is "Ashton Kutcher" but still! The sex is so good, even though it didn't seem that good in the scene,that they decide to become "sex buddies". Natalie Portman is a superCommitafobe and is the driving force that keeps them apart. Buteventually blah blah blah you know the rest of the film. Review: OK this film is terribly written, actually...I take that back.It's not that it badly written it's that it hits all the formulaicRomCom plot points. I guess its predicability is what makes it soannoying. You've seen this movie before and you've seen it done better. Examples of the terrible writing with clichéd dialogue: "you always dothis, you always find something wrong with everyone who likes you""please say something" "I'm not letting you go" None of the other side characters are remotely interesting. Everysingle one of them falls flat. Also the girl who plays the sister ofNatalie Portman, they look nothing alike. Not that I have anythingagainst Olivia Thirlby, she was good in the Wackness. Portman and Kutcher's chemistry is unnatural and lukewarm at best. Onanother note, Natalie Portman totally owns Ashton Kutcher in this film.She out acts him in almost every scene. Plus she looks smokin gorgeousand Kutcher body is all flabby. I mean come on Ashton I know you'retall and your genes have passed down a ridiculously gorgeous face, butyou gotta try a little buddy. If you're a guy do not see this movie. Unfortunately if you're a not sosmart teenage girl, this movie is probably like crack to you and you'veprobably already popped this movie into your DVD player by the time youfinish this review. If only this movie were in 3D...oh wait they'realready remaking this film "Friends w/ Benefits"....*sigh