21 May 2012

So uncomfortable, so funny

With any project that Ashton Kutcher is involved in, I have to be prepared for ANYTHING. And this film is just that. I spent some of the movie with my front collar over my face because I was more embarrassed for the characters than THEY were. Funniest (and oddest scenes): 1) I never thought I'd like "99 Problems" as a country song, but I'd love to hear the extended version of that. I rewound that a couple of times because it was so GOOD! 2) I loved that, "Am I boring you?" scene with the dog. I rewound that one a few times and cracked up every time the dog reacted. Most awkward: 1) That period CD was so cringe-worthy. I actually Google'd the lyrics to see if she really says, "And I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding." I'm sure that wasn't what Leona Lewis had in mind, but I'd be especially interested in her reaction to that scene. Hilarious in the grossest way! 2) Pretty much every sex scene was anything but romantic especially the one with him confirming they were having sex like it was like saying, "Hey, we reached the top of the mountain. How 'bout that?" 3) The pole scene when they were kicked out, only because I had a similar situation via phone. That was uncomfortable to watch only because I had pretty much the same reaction. 4) The "fingering" question--AWFUL timing, but I laughed while I shook my head. 5) The "boner" phone conversation. I almost fell off the couch laughing at that. 6) The balloon. Aw man, I hope no guy in real life really did that after he saw the film, but quite honestly if somebody did that to me, I'd laugh...hard.Overall I thought this was a good film. I liked the serious scenes more than the comedic scenes but not by much--it was about 55/45. I don't think I'll ever understand the logic of FWB so I thought this was an interesting topic. I like the way it was covered, realistic instead of preachy. Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

Nick Damian

21 May 2012

Boring and stupid and rude

I gave it a 2.This simply sucks for a movie.It drags on far too long and the dialogue and characters are dull asbeans.Ashton sucks as a lead and the story doesn't help.Totally unrealistic.Totally uninteresting and a waste of my download on netflix.I'm glad that this came as a monthly package in my bill and that Ididn't have to actually pay for this.How I long for real plots and stories that actually entertain.

samkay1

18 May 2012

Not even close

I should probably have seen it coming. Considering that neither NataliePortman nor Ashton Kutcher have done anything remotely funny, and IvanReitman hasn't directed anything great since Kindergarden Cop, I wonderwhat it is that gave me hope that No Strings Attached could be anygood. It's a bland experience, with bad acting, too much contrivancefor comfort, and questionable focus. The vast bulk of the jokes fallflat, and the few that don't aren't very original.Even from the get go, you have the feeling that this movie is doingsomething wrong. In the first few minutes it jumps from ten years, tofive years to the present day, and asks us to accept the fact that twopeople who met at a party and haven't spoken since would remember eachother after several years. It's hard to say whether laughter was theintended reaction, but it feels far more awkward to the viewers than itdoes to the characters. It might have helped if anyone in the cast was trying, but nobody is.Ashton Kutcher, is potentially forgivable when considering that therole is way beyond him, but Natalie Portman, is not so easy to forgive.Her performance reeks of personality swings between girlish andwomanish, she fails to sell emotion, and also she plays drunk likeshe's had no acting experience. Kevin Kline and Ludicrous are painfullyunderused in their supporting roles. This brings me to another problemwith No Strings attached; too much of the plotting feels unnecessary. Iwould have liked it if the move spend more time with the lead couple.Instead, we have to ensure a time passing montage of sexual encounters,which rob us of the comedy and the credibility. Whatever it is that may sound appealing about No Strings attached isprobably misleading. It's far too lazy and incompetent to be worthanyone's time.

17 May 2012

I didn't expect much. I was REALLY suprised!

This review is from: No Strings Attached (Amazon Instant Video) I didn't think I would like this, because I'm not a huge Ashton Kutcher fan. But this is a much see! It's funny, charming, and touching. Ashton was so cute and Natalie was great! It's kind of a chick flick but I think the men will enjoy it too! This is a must see romantic comedy.

16 May 2012

3 1/2 stars for sexy and fun romcom

Coming off a highly praised turn in "The Black Swan", Natalie Portman does an acting 180 in this fairly traditional romantic comedy. There is certainly nothing new here. Can platonic friends be sex buddies without all the romantic entanglements? Yeah, good luck with that. Portman's character Emma is a medical student working an 80 hour week and looks to a friend she first knew when they were budding teenagers, to provide sexual release. Adam (Ashton Kutcher) works on a TV series, obviously helped along the way by his famous actor dad played by Kevin Kline. We certainly know where the movie is going to go, so how much fun is it getting there? More than we might expect. Portman and Kutcher work well together and push all the right buttons. There is no question Portman adds a certain acting legitimacy to what is pretty much a cookie-cutter plot. The movie is sexy and fun. What's wrong with that?

ivanakomatina

16 May 2012

A quick review

Don't watch it if you aren't couple of drunk girlfriends killing thetime. And even in this case, we wanted to daze off a couple of times.For me, Natalie's blond friend (I don't even know the names ofcharacters) stole the show. Every time she was in a scene, it made mesmile :) Other than that, we just knew everything that will happen,almost to the point of knowing the lines they will say. Strange thatPortman decided to be in it... Ashton is actually quite good for thistype of romantic comedies or whatever, but the scrip was really bad ingeneral. I give it 6 out of 10 just because I was in a good mood thatnight :)

ocsummerbabii

16 May 2012

A chuckle here and there...

Sometimes its nice to go see a light-hearted comedy which allows you toappreciate the finer things in life, such as a chance sexual encounterwith a stranger. Especially when these strangers are as attractive asour leads. This obviously isn't a film for the kids and it was vulgarto the point where some scenes came across as tacky, but either way itearned laughs and that was the point in the end. Kutcher redeemedhimself with this one, he's never really been an A actor, hisperformances are all pretty boy with no real flare, but in this one wecan actually see some depth as he deals with the ups and downs ofPortman. Portman on the other hand was hysterical to say the least, shewas cute and bubbly and more importantly she had fun with her role. Itwas challenging for me as an audience member to walk out of Black Swanwith awe and such respect for this woman, and then soon after witnessher talk about a period mixed cd. There wasn't anything special aboutthe directing or the soundtrack. It's your average cookie cutterromance, they just upped the sex. I recommend it, if you want a film topass the time, which will make you smile. Just know, that you won'tleave, move or touched. You just might have a smirk on your face.

16 May 2012

Cute!

I gave this movie an 8/10 simply because it will keep you laughing the majority of the time. Sure the ending is predictable and a few of the background actors deliver lackluster performances but Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher fit very nicely together as the main characters, you could really tell they had fun working together.I see a lot of other reviews criticizing Portman for "stooping to this level" and I'm not too sure why, maybe they didn't go see it in the right frame of mind...this movie is what it is, a romantic comedy about two friends who decide to take their relationship to the next level without having any of the commitments and "duties" of being an actual couple, that's what the trailers showed it as, that's what the actors described it as, nothing was a surprise...she did a cute, funny romantic comedy, it's not like she dove head first into the adult film industry.Will this movie be nominated for awards, probably, will it win, probably not, but overall it was cute, it was funny, and I left the theater feeling like the $10 I paid for a ticket was well worth it.by OompaLoompa8816 (United States)

Jackson Booth-Millard

14 May 2012

No Strings Attached

From director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Twins, Evolution), this cameout in cinemas two months after Sex & Other Drugs, they were notcompeting the same year, but they are both similar films with subtledifferences, I watched this one second. Basically Dr. Emma K. Kurtzman(Natalie Portman) and Adam Franklin (Ashton Kutcher) met each other intheir youths at summer camp, and since then they have been bumping intoeach other few years, Adam writes and assists on a TV show and Emma isa nurse. One day Adam finds out that his washed up actor father Alvin(Kevin Kline) is having a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Vanessa(Ophelia Lovibond), and he goes out to forget all about it drowning inalcohol. Next morning he wakes up in Emma's house, he finds comfort inher to talk about many things in his personal life, and soon enoughthey have sex. This becomes a constant thing and they decide to become"sex friends", restricting the relationship to sex only, as she is notcomfortable with dating or being completely in love with someone. Shealso decides to hide this sex only relationship from her friends andhouse-mates Patrice (Greta Gerwig) and Shira (Mindy Kaling), and for awhile things are going well in the non serious sexual encounters. Adamstarts to get jealous if she hangs out with other men, and he becomeseven more distraught when he finds out his father Alvin and Vanessa areplanning to have a baby, and Emma is getting increasingly uncomfortablewith dating, even on Valentine's Day. It is when Adam announces that heloves her that she really gets angry, saying that he should be withsomeone who won't hurt her, and after dropping her off at a hospitalthey unofficially break up. Six weeks later production assistant Lucy(Lake Bell) submits a script Adam wrote for the show he works on, andit is accepted and he becomes an official script writer, while Emma isbreaking down missing him, spending time with her sister Katie (OliviaThirlby) who is getting married, and her widowed mother Sandra (TaliaBalsam) who has a new boyfriend. She tries to call him but he seeminglyignores her, but she really wants to be with him and goes to his house,but she is devastated to see him arriving back with Lucy, but shemisreads her being a new girlfriend. They were planning to have sex,but they are interrupted when Adam receives the devastating news thathis father is in hospital having overdosed on cough syrup, and Vanessaconfesses she no longer wants to be with an older man, or around anyold people for that matter. After initially having a heated phone call,Adam and Emma get together to make up, and they attend her sister'swedding together wondering what will happen next, in the end we seethem holding hands. Also starring Cary Elwes as Dr. Metzner, Chris'Ludacris' Bridges as Wallace and Jake M. Johnson as Eli. Kutcher is Iguess likable and charming enough, Portman, who starred in Black Swanaround the same time, is beautiful and sweet as his love interest, andtogether they make a good on screen couple, it is not necessarilyoriginal with the in love, breaking up and back again part, and the"sex friends" that fall in love is a bit obvious, but it is not a badromantic comedy. Worth watching!

14 May 2012

Money Making Formula

Outside of a few funny lines and outside of a good money making day for all studio staff involved this flick is a two-weeks-from-now forgettable 90 minutes. It's actually a bit sad to see Kutcher's talent wasted on formula romantic comedies, but again it's good pay for a day's work which is about how long it takes to make these. The important criticism is that the storyline is a quilt of ideas borrowed (meaning: many times recycled) from other rom-com flicks e.g. detached, insecure chick, whose a bit smarter than the lowly gardener (usually a gardener or some manual trade that allows physiques to be shown); dumb romantic enticements such as fast food restaurants and veggies for flowers; friends to act as either rational or provocateur foils - all done before. Oh, and the usual (funny to film crew) same camera angled sex scenes seen in every similar movie.

princebansal1982

13 May 2012

Nothing really new, But still highly enjoyable and well executed

No Strings Attached is an enjoyable romantic movie. Natalie Portmanplays role of emotionally stunted Emma, who is training to be a doctor.She has neither time nor inclination for romantic pursuits. When shedoes gets entangled with Adam, an aspiring script writer, it is Emmawho insists on Sex without Romance. Quite an inversion, as it is mostlythe guys who are have an aversion to romance, but understandableconsidering her chosen career path.No Strings Attached has enough of funny moments but I won't go so farto bill it as a romantic comedy. It is more of a romantic movie withfunny moments. Both the leads have done a really good job, making themovie immensely watchable.

Claudio Carvalho

13 May 2012

Silly and Incoherent Plot, but Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher Make the Film Worth

Fifteen years ago, Adam Franklin (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma Kurtzman(Natalie Portman) meet each other in a colony and every now and thenthey stumble on each other.In the present days, Emma is an MIT graduated doctor and Adam is thestage assistant of a TV musical show and aspirant screenplay writer.When Adam visits his father Alvin (Kevin Kline), who is a successful TVproducer, and finds that his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Ophelia Lovibond)has moved to Alvin's house and is dating him, he gets totally drunk andcalls every girl in his cell phone's contact list. On the next morning,he wakes up at Emma's apartment and they have quick sex. Emma does notwant to have any emotional involvement and proposes a relationshipdriven by sex only without romance or commitment. But love is notpossible to be rationalized and the couple is affected by theirbehavior."No Strings Attached" is a romantic comedy with a silly and incoherentplot since the motives for the behavior of Emma are not well developedand she becomes an inconsistent lead character. The story is visiblyinspired on the adorable "When Harry Met Sally…", with elements of Gleeand spiced with sex. However, the film is cute and the chemistry between the lovely NataliePortman and the pleasant Ashton Kutcher make the film worth. I believethat a high percentage of viewers love Natalie Portman and it is apleasure to see this talented actress in any movie. Kevin Kline has a small part but is also hilarious. This is the firsttime that I pay attention in Lake Bell and she is really a beautifulwoman performing the role of a clumsy and nerd character. Howeverseveral support characters are neither funny nor interesting. My voteis seven.Title (Brazil): "Sexo Sem Compromisso" ("Sex Without Commitment")

12 May 2012

Unbearably bad...

After an hour I could not take the crass jokes and terrible acting. Skip this one at all costs.

Troy_Campbell

12 May 2012

Indifferent.

It has been said by many filmmakers and critics that the only thingworse than a movie you hate is a movie you feel nothing for, one way oranother. Ivan Reitman's latest effort unfortunately fits into thatmould a little too well. I didn't dislike this new age rom-com, it hasits moments, but I left the cinema pondering whether I should get somedinner after eating so many M&Ms and didn't give this film a secondthought until I sat down to write this.Even now, considering what I should mention in this review, I amfinding it hard to pinpoint what was actually good or bad about NoStrings Attached; the whole affair was just so indifferent. ElizabethMeriwether's screenplay was occasionally witty but never strayed fromthe typical 'boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl' template.Reitman plays it safe behind the camera, a shame for the man who wasresponsible for comedy gold of the Ghostbusters, Stripes and Meatballsilk.It would be easy to say this work is below Portman, because it is. Shebrings her normal allure to the proceedings, but ultimately doesn'thave enough to sink her teeth into. On the other hand, Kutcher looksright at home as the affable goof. He's on autopilot for sure, althoughif this is as far as his acting chops stretch then good on him forriding the wave for as long as possible. Kline and Elwes addexperience, if not excitement, whilst young blood Gerwig and Thirlbyshow glimpses of why they're on the up in Hollywood.I didn't feel attached to No Strings in any way.2.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Average, 3 - Good, 4 - Great, 5 -Brilliant)

05 May 2012

First time it was cool, second time it was flat

Update: I watched this movie again on Jan. 26, 2012 and realized it was pretty boring. I rewound the "99 Problems" scene about 10 times straight and just kept singing along with it. I wish I could find that recording and/or the band's name in case they did a full version of it. That's about all I liked from the whole movie the second go-round. I re-read my original review below and found it interesting because I didn't laugh once through the entire movie at any of the scenes I laughed at the first time. I must've been having one very easily amused day.Original review: With any project that Ashton Kutcher is involved in, I have to be prepared for ANYTHING. And this film is just that. I spent some of the movie with my front collar over my face because I was more embarrassed for the characters than THEY were.Funniest (and oddest scenes): 1) I never thought I'd like "99 Problems" as a country song, but I'd love to hear the extended version of that. I rewound that a couple of times because it was so GOOD! 2) I loved that, "Am I boring you?" scene with the dog. I rewound that one a few times and cracked up every time the dog reacted.Most awkward: 1) That period CD was so cringe-worthy. I actually Google'd the lyrics to see if she really says, "And I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding." I'm sure that wasn't what Leona Lewis had in mind, but I'd be especially interested in her reaction to that scene. Hilarious in the grossest way! 2) Pretty much every sex scene was anything but romantic especially the one with him confirming they were having sex like it was like saying, "Hey, we reached the top of the mountain. How 'bout that?" 3) The pole scene when they were kicked out, only because I had a similar situation via phone. That was uncomfortable to watch only because I had pretty much the same reaction. 4) The "fingering" question--AWFUL timing, but I laughed while I shook my head. 5) The "boner" phone conversation. I almost fell off the couch laughing at that. 6) The balloon. Aw man, I hope no guy in real life really did that after he saw the film, but quite honestly if somebody did that to me, I'd laugh...hard.Overall I thought this was a good film. I liked the serious scenes more than the comedic scenes but not by much--it was about 55/45. I don't think I'll ever understand the logic of FWB so I thought this was an interesting topic. I like the way it was covered, realistic instead of preachy. Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

gerald_e2

05 May 2012

A funny movie

This movie has an awful start, but it improved a LOT. As was stated inanother review "can I finger you" is an awful way to start. It's theperfect way to show the attitude of an ass. Moving through the moviethe characters played by Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher made thestory real. They also changed a lot through the film. Kutcher's twomale friends did not add a lot except to make rude suggestions.Thankfully the two main characters carried the film. No StringsAttached showed how people need attachment, not just to feel good. Mywife says I like "chick flicks" better than she does, and I rate thisone pretty high because of the story.I liked how Portman was NOT a shallow shy character, but affirmed herown needs, even at her own expense. I like how Kutchner showed how weneed attachment, not just self-gratification with another.

Harry T. Yung

03 May 2012

One wedding and one funeral

Yes, one only, the wedding of the protagonist Emma's (Natalie Portman)sister that marks the conclusion of the movie. The funeral is at thebeginning, all in the same family, of her father. While the title is asbanal as can be, it aptly describes the essence in this rom-com. Andyou have seen it often enough, most recently probably in "Love andother drugs", someone with a phobia for close relationships. In "Loveand other drugs", however, there is a good reason: a disease that willmean tremendous sacrifice on the part of the loved one. Here, Emma'sresistance is not even explained with any particularly painful previousexperience, and is therefore not too convincing. But never mind. Thisis not a logical-deduction whodunit mystery but rather a Valentineescapade and, as such, perfectly adequate.To begin with, it has probably one of the most important ingredients ofa rom-com, two leads are good-looking and can act the part. PlayingAdam, Ashton Kutcher comes with impressive credentials from"Valentine's day" which, although an ensemble type of flick, clearlyhad him and Jennifer Garner top-billed. For Portman, this is of coursenot "Black Swan". But with full professional respect for the movie, sheputs in an honest and earnest effort. Chemistry? While evidentthroughout the movie, the last scene is particularly convincingtestimony.The plot line is simplicity itself: two people agreed on having sex astheir only relationship ("sex friends", "fxxx buddies" are twoterminologies employed in the movie) end up along the inevitable pathof falling in love. All the rest of the movie, coming with a largesupporting cast, is just bells and whistles. While everyone did a goodjob, I'll mention two in particular, and there's a reason for it.Following the popular formula, the movie brings the couple to the finalstage of something going wrong. True to this formula, the "turn-around"point is triggered by someone close. For Adam, it's his father; forEmma, her sister.Kevin Kline, looking splendid as ever at 64, plays the 58-year-oldfather with muscles to spare. This is a pivotal character – by sleepingAdam's ex-girlfriend, he prompts his rueful son into seeking a sexualrelationship, ANY sexual relationship, while propels the rest of thestory. He even did a number with his own piano accompaniment,immediately bringing back sounds and images from "De-lovely" (2004).If you have seen "New York, I love you", it's unlikely that you willforget lovely Olivia Thirlby in one of the most entertaining segmentsof that star-studded collection of tales from New York. Here, she playsthe sister whose wedding is the trigger point to Emma finally breakingfree from her self-imposed inhibitions. She role is smaller thanKline's and one can't help hoping that she had more to do in thismovie.My concluding remark has to be a salute to the movie's salute toPeanuts. The mere reference brings so much joy – "Great Scott", theGreat Pumpkin, and there's even a character named Lucy! Good grief!!

Biggest_Loser

02 May 2012

Consider how much you love your date before seeing this.

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) met each other once ata school summer camp but never committed. Several years later and theymeet again. Adam is now a writer and an assistant on a TV show andshe's a nurse. When Adam discovers that his father Alvin (Kevin Kline),a washed-up actor, is having a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, hegoes on an all-night bender. Waking up in Emma's house, he findscomfort in her and they have spontaneous sex too. They decide that theyshould restrict their relationship to this level as she isn'tcomfortable with dating. She decides to keep it a secret from herhousemates Patrice (Greta Gerwig) and Shira (Mindy Kaling). Typically,Adam feels left out by this demand and tries to develop therelationship into something more with the help of his friends Wallace(Ludacris) and Eli (Jake M. Johnson).Last year I praised a rejuvenating American comedy called Easy A forbeing witty, economical and charming in its outlook on sex andconformity. No Strings Attached, this year's major Valentine's Dayrelease directed by Ivan Reitman, is not that movie. It reminded memore of a scene from Annie Hall, where Woody Allen asks a couple whythey are happy. The girl responds: "I'm very shallow and empty and Ihave no ideas and nothing interesting to say". Her boyfriend adds: "I'mexactly the same way." The very familiar premise here of friends withbenefits, covered most recently in Love and Other Drugs, leavessubstantial motives by the wayside in favour of star power. The onlymildly surprising element here is some of the unnaturally crudedialogue provided by first time feature writer Elizabeth Meriwether.She lends some cringing lines to scenes that are so prosaic that theyare lacking in dramatic and comedic punch. Centuries on and we're stillwatching that moment where one person falsely believes that the otheris already accounted for.Ivan Reitman's film also feels overlong and badly paced too. It lumbersridiculously just under the two hour mark, slipping well intorepetition before the credits start. And successful comedy is found innot just what is said but how it's said. Tone and precision are bothcrucial. Thus, while Ashton Kutcher is a popular performer, he's sorelaxed in this film that his character lies somewhere between dope andsleepwalker. I just didn't find any of his dialogue to be particularlyfunny. Portman has a little more energy, particularly in the secondhalf, but her characterisation shifts so jarringly from scene to scene.The comic timing she deftly showed in Garden State is absent becauseshe isn't given many good lines to work with either. Considering thematerial and how unbalanced the film is towards her character, itsurprised me to see that she backed the film herself as one of theproducers. More fun is to be had with some of the side characters, likeWallace, with the little time they have on screen. Greta Gerwig (abreakthrough performance in Greenberg last year) is rarely seen andKevin Kline is underused. Consider how much you love your date beforeseeing this.

01 May 2012

It's Alright

It's A Movie Worth Seeing At Least Once. It Has Nice Humor And The Actors Do A Good Job Performing. I Got For Like $5 So I Say Buy It.

01 May 2012

Same movie as Friend with Benefits

You get one ex-That 70's Show cast member or the other, it's the same movie with different actors pretty much, c'mon can't someone come up with something original.