Shawn and I decided to go to the movies tonight because we haven't watched a movie in the theatres in a long time, and also because it's Cheap Movie Tuesday. So I dragged him to watch No Strings Attached, because I have a huge girl-crush on Natalie Portman. I'm just going to put it out there: the movie wasn't phenomenal. It's definitely not a must-see. Natalie Portman probably wanted to change it up after Black Swan in a lighter, funnier role. I will say, however, that it's a rather realistic look on "friends with benefits" relationships, in the sense that these relationships almost always end up having strings attached. Having sex with a random stranger or being generally promiscuous (like Samantha on Sex and the City) is one thing, but to have sex with an actual friend is another. Some emotional attachment, whether small or large, is already there.
Going into the movie, we already know it's a romantic comedy, so this film follows many elements of that genre. Meaning, the general plot is predictable, with moments of warmth and sweetness. If I had to make a comparison, No Strings Attached would probably be the mainstream, fluffy version of (500) Days of Summer. My biggest complaint would be that No Strings Attached still ends up showing women (even very successful, intelligent women) as the emotional, vulnerable ones, whereas the ending of (500) Days of Summer is kind of the opposite. As Shawn puts it, the movie doesn't require a lot of thought; it's not something you really have to pay deep attention to. But I will say that I wasn't bored at all during the film, even if it is a "chick flick," and Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman are pretty damn adorable.
Rating: 3/5
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