No Strings Attached

         Well, with everyone’s favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day, fast approaching this weekend, I thought why not go and review a romcom that might not be that great, but that I personally enjoyed for whatever reason. And no, I will not call this a guilty pleasure because I do not feel guilty about liking this movie at all. No Strings Attached is one of those romcoms that borrows its formula from basically every romcom in the book. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Girl sort of likes guy, but overall does not want to be with boy at the moment. Rinse and repeat. And you know what? That is okay. Not only is it a simple formula that works, but it is nice to watch a film with literally so little at stake. Not to mention that the two leads in question, Natalie Portman, and Ashton Kutcher, play exceptionally well with each other. They certainly have good chemistry.

The film follows a very basic plotline that can easily be deciphered by the title. Kutcher and Portman’s characters decide to engage in a sexual relationship free of any of the worry over labels, titles, etc. While this always seems like a good idea at the time, the two eventually realize that it is a lot more complicated than they expected it to be (duh), and they must figure out exactly what to do with their developing feelings for each other as they both seem to want different things. I have seen this film a few times now, and every time I watch it I have the same thought, and that is that I forget how funny the supporting cast is for this film. While Portman and Kutcher are clearly the stars of the film, Jake Johnson, Greta Gerwig, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling, Guy Branum, and Lake Bell are all exceptionally funny in their roles as friends to the two main characters. They offer terrific comedic relief, timing, humor, and leave a lasting impression on the scenes that they are in. They are definitely the comedy while Portman and Kutcher focus on the romance. That is not to say that those two are not funny in their own right, they are just not on the same level as the rest for this film.

This film is directed by Ivan Reitman much in the same way that majority of romcoms are directed. It looks great, it has a smooth flow with solid transitions, and it has a good and heartfelt ending. The musical choices for this film are also stellar, and the wardrobe is good as well. It is just a good-looking film. You have a bunch of good-looking people in a good-looking location eating good looking food and doing good looking things. This film obviously has flaws. As I have stated, it is pretty generic. Nothing about it is entirely memorable and it is not something that I expect you to watch multiple times even though I have. The screenplay leaves something to be desired and while it can be emotional, it never hits an emotional spot that would truly make you feel something at your core. Despite that, it is a fun, if underwhelming romcom that you can enjoy as long as you do not go into it expecting a masterpiece, but rather you are just trying to watch something to laugh with that will make you go “aww”. Official Rating: 3 Stars.

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