Genres

Visitors Review

chris-4147 2012-05-25 19:06:34

No small parts

The cast in this film was spot on. It was particularly refreshing tofind even the smallest of roles, uttering what could be the mostinnocuous of lines, laugh-out-loud funny. The Kutcher- Portmanrelationship rang true, outstripping any buzz about stripping, and onehad the feeling the actors cared both about the script and each other.Kevin Kline is, of course, a national treasure. First time I've seenGreta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Ophelia Lovibond, Jennifer Irwin, or OliviaThirlby (or noticed them) and they were all fantastic. And though I'dseen Mindy Kaling, Talia, Balsam, Jake M. Johnson, Ludicrous, and AbbyElliot before, they made the often-bandied belief that "In Americathere are no ensemble actors" seem like an outright lie. Cary Elwes wasphenomenal with less than a half-dozen lines (and nobody does "lame"like him). There was so much less-is-more from the cast as a whole thatthe experience was lifted toward the sublime.

Anthony Belcheff 2012-05-25 09:18:56

This movie really connects

This movie to me connects to the sex industry in a way, those guys havesex just for relief,money and a good time and they try to keep it asits all a business nothing else. This is exactly what this movie isabout and it delivers well,two people that have met each other sincethey were kids, 21 years ago. Turn out into sex buddies. I reallyenjoyed it both Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher acted really well.There was some good laughs,hot sex scenes and love in this film so igive this a 8/10 if your a couple or just a bunch of girls/guys yourbetter off watching it but with your family is just a no.And on a sidenote. It was like watching sex with girls around you.

sundarandu-80-48852 2012-05-25 00:37:20

predictable,...Boring...cliché..ah,.

it's same old boring romantic comedy. i am not against rom-com. but,come on, isn't rom-com's so predictable. even children can say that thecasual sex couple(or i would say f*#k couple) is going to end uptogether.let me say what happens in rom-com's. even though they pretendlike they don't have any feelings for each other,deep down in theirheart they love each other. they fight,they reconcile and kiss and theend. i mean, come on, love suddenly comes out of nowhere and they kissat the end.having casual sex!.that is possible, i accept. but, if a girl sleepswith a guy just casually. she's a bi*ch. no one would fall in love withher. the movie fails in all level. 1.the characterisation 2.enforcing thelove between them. 3.same old running for each other. 4.what not?

julian-mumford 2012-05-24 14:05:52

A middle of the road Rom Com

We meet the young friends at a party when everyone is pairing off, Emma(Portman) and Adam (Kutcher) are not together, just friends despite theill judged, both story and script wise, vulgar comment from Adam.We spiral through a few years with the pair meeting again and thenagain and so forth. At no point does the relationship change until,well it does. Friends no more and now, if not lovers, then "FriendsWith Benefits" (not to be confused with film of the same name) or "BedBuddies".The crux of the story is, can you have a sexual relationship withregular meetings, whenever the mood strikes, without that pesky lovething and petty jealousies getting in the way. In real life this may bemore complicated to answer but in the movies, the answer to provide athree act story, is that you cannot.Adam is an assistant on what appears to be a "Glee" wannabe TV show. Heis desperate to write but with little opportunity to do so, whilst heremains in the long shadow of his father "Alvin" (Kline), a much lovedTV show character with his own annoying catchphrase. Dad is agingdisgracefully and when he starts recycling, not paper but his sonsgirlfriends, their relationship understandably takes a hit.Meanwhile Emma, so buttoned up she actually does not have any buttonsjust in case, is the emotionally barren daughter of a equally frostymother. Emma is a rather improbable busy hospital doctor with theobligatory movie gay friend mixing it up with her two girl flatmates,the four providing great comedic possibilities that are not reallyexplored.There is little chemistry between the main pairing, neither areterrible but Portman is not on top form and Kutcher seemingly plays afacsimile of the real Ashton Kutcher yet again. Lake Bell as "Lucy",admiring Adam from not so far, is more amusing. Striking a note just arestraining order's width away from stalker and with the awkwardness tomatch when presented with her prey.Kline looks like he is enjoying himself but this is very lightweightfilm that still manages to strike the odd bum note in tone. Whateverhappened to chaste comedies like "When Harry Met Sally" and "Youv'e gotMail", do we really need to know someone is putting on a condom?Perhaps a comedy where both parents are not rich, with expensiveweddings and lives might strike more of a note with cinema-goers. It remains to be seen if the more recent "Friends with Benefits"strikes a better balance in tone. Certainly in this film you may findyour female partner shouting, "just what do you want lady?", as thefilm draws to a close.Summary Not without some merit but overall, a middle of the road Rom Com withthe emphasis on comedy rather providing any insight on the subjectmatter or any real life situations.http://julesmoviereviews.blogspot.com/

bmennen 2012-05-23 22:43:16

Romcom with more nuance than most others...

Kutcher and Portman definitely have it going on...Reitman directs thechemistry very well. About a half dozen good laughs and many smiles andsnickers...it does not drag. All in all, a terrific date movie...It works for many reasons: 1) Cast quality (aside from the two leads)is deep; Kevin Kline is very funny in his turn, and Greta Gerwig andMindy Kaling ( from The Office) do not disappoint--Lake Bell (anewcomer to me) steals every scene she's in; 2) Reitman squeezeseverything out of each scene...he pays attention to detail and goes forthe laughs and the irony; 3) Other than some unnecessary vulgarities,the script is very intelligently written and the characters speak asreal people might; 4) Finally, Portman and Kutcher are just terrific.If the choice is between Black Swan and this, see this.

2012-05-23 12:59:54

Predictable, But Good

I really liked this movie. I thought the begining was kind of slow and odd, but I loved the relationship, or lack of relationship, between Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher's characters. The ending was predictable, but it was enjoyable anyway.

2012-05-23 03:22:08

Gives you butterflies!

This is the perfect girl movie! Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher are so good together, they could be a real life couple. I think a lot of people would see the cover and chalk this one up to a silly romantic comedy, but I thought the acting was great...especially Ashton. When Natalie pushed back (the whole premise of the movie is that she wants to just be "sex friends" but he wants more), he really looked like he was being patient with her as any guy head over heels for a girl would be. The scenes with his friends were funny too. And what girl doesn't eat donuts like a wild woman after getting the cold shoulder from a guy? Natalie's character did, and it was a great scene. It definitely evoked some emotion too if you've ever been in that situation. No Strings Attached is definitely worth renting, if not buying.

ivanakomatina 2012-05-22 12:08:12

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 :)

shilla76 2012-05-21 16:16:25

Cute very cute indeed

What a light, funny, sweet movie. I love it very much and it is a mustwatch movie. I am really a big fan of Natalie Portman, and surprisinglythe quality of this movie proves her acting quality even more cos sheis really very talented actress. Ashton's acting skills improve somuch. We can start with the writing, the directing,the story reallywhole packages to this kind of drama comedy. Honestly, I wouldn't mineto watch it over n over again. it wasn't just me my friend loved it aswell. I am hoping there will be some quality to the movie for comedydrama like this one in a future. I love it every minutes n drama drama.You can see both characters happy an sad. when everything turn good ufeel it too when thing turn so bad u feel it sad too. What good aboutthis movie is so real. this thing could happened in real life. friendcould turning into lover. You'll feel emotion. This movie shows thatsex is not just a sex, sex is not just for fun n pleasure. lets saythanks God we could see there is still such a sweet guy like Ashton whowill make you chuckle who can blow your mind and melting at the sametime. it is very entertaining enough said.

2012-05-21 06:35:33

Not bad

This review is from: No Strings Attached (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) This was an ok movie. Kind of sappy and cheesy, not a bad date-night movie, but not Ashton Kutcher's best work. I'm stoked that I could get the Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital combo, then again, this isn't a movie you'd want to watch on an ipod, not that great for solo viewing.

2012-05-21 00:14:51

No Strings Attached

I was actually quite surprised at how good `No Strings Attached' was. I was expecting it to be quite disappointing and a lack lustre affair, but it had some good laughs and a reasonably good plot too.Featuring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher this follows two characters called Emma and Adam as they try to have a relationship where they have plenty of sex, but don't fall in love. Emma, who has intimacy problems, finds this concept easier than Adam and that is when the problems start.This has some decent jokes in it and it had me laughing out loud a few times. Both Portman and Kutcher play their roles well and you tend to feel their was genuine chemistry between them. Kevin Kline as Adams father also has some great lines and raises some laughs.I loved the soundtrack, which features one of my favourite bands (The Temper Trap) and the songs match the scenes very well. The story was also quite good, with some great dialogue and it didn't feel overlong or tedious at any point.All in all this made for just under two hours entertaining viewing and it is an easy going and reasonably funny film. It is well worth checking out and whilst you won't be rushing to watch it again straight afterwards, I didn't regret watching it at all.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

2012-05-20 13:44:35

Natalie Portman's character was clinically insane in this movie.

Alright, reviewing the actual movie: Typical RomCom. Guy falls in love with girl, girl only likes guy. Blah blah blah. We've seen these types of movies before. No Strings Attached is not a bad RomCom, nor a great RomCom. Right in the middle really.Although what I really want to talk about is the crazy, bi-polar, and ridiculously screwed up character that Natalie Portman plays. The constant back and forth between wanting more, then wanting less just drove me crazy. It seriously reminded me of the bi-polar and unstable patients I met during my nursing career. Just wanted to get that out there. The character she portrays in this movie needs some serious help.That is all! Check it out if you want, some might be disappointed, others might enjoy it. Tough call on this one!

heathern-7 2012-05-19 20:01:25

This movie was uncouth, smutty and a thoroughly unpleasant experience

I am a regular movie goer viewing around 50 movies on screen a year andhave a DVD collection of over 1,000 DVDs and I would rate this movie inmy worst 3 movies of all time. A friend described the viewingexperience as feeling as if you had a penis thrust in your face for thewhole movie. With so many great movies out there to see this isdefinitely one to skip. Both lead actors have demonstrated their actingtalents in their other movies and in fact their acting skill is verygood in this movie it is the script that is appalling and an insult tothe acting talent. The film did not appear to even earn favour with ayounger audience as few were in the cinema and all seemed to leavedisgusted with the movie

KineticSeoul 2012-05-19 11:14:43

Formulaic, but a decent romantic comedy...Just a bit overrated

The trailer of this movie didn't hype me up at all to see itimmediately, but overall it's a decent romantic comedy. It's formulaicin some aspects and goes in a direction where Ashton constantly bragsabout his features without proof to the audience. Which might be a goodthing for guys but it kinda shows why he wanted to be in this movie,because of the dialogue that hypes him up. The plot is about a guy whois looking for a relationship with the girl he likes, but the girl justwants a sex friend. Also some guy audiences might be disappointed causeit shows Ashton being more revealing than Natalie Portman, in factthere is no nude scenes for her because she is under a contract orsomething. Overall it's a decent comedy, not all that funny and isoverrated a bit by some reviewers in my opinion, but still a decentromantic comedy...Nothing all that special. The flaw of this movie isthe formulaic and very predictable direction and parts and dialoguethat is just not believable at all. Also the pacing of the movie slowsdown after the first hour. The main positive thing about this movie isthat the two characters are relateable in some aspects.6.5/10

reelcouples 2012-05-18 23:38:16

This couple is not The Reel Thing

Reel Thing Rating: 1 out of 5 ReelsSince our job is to rate the lifelong relationship potential of Adamand Emma, we won't waste our time telling you how unbelievablycontrived we thought this movie was. The whole thing felt like a muchless charming version of A Lot Like Love. But again, our job is to ratethe couple, not the movie, so we won't say anything at all.Adam and Emma first meet as young teens at summer camp, and then haverepeat collisions over the next few years. Their final encounterhappens when both are well into their twenties and their careers andliving in LA. After learning one day that his father has been datinghis ex-girlfriend, Adam gets incredibly drunk and wakes up the nextmorning on Emma's couch, with no knowledge of how he got there. Emmatakes him into her room where the two share an intimate moment togetherand then decide, mostly at Emma's insistence, on a "no stringsattached" physical relationship. Unsurprisingly it is not long beforethey begin to have feelings for each other, despite the fact that theyboth try to deny it. Or to be more precise, Emma insists that they nothave feelings for each other, and Adam feels compelled to go along withthe charade.We can't see much potential here for these two, and not just because oftheir attempts to convince themselves that they don't care for eachother. Thousands before them have tried and failed to convincethemselves of the same thing. We simply see no chemistry here, and nobasis for a long lasting connection. Because of their feigned lack offeeling there has never been a discussion of their likes or dislikes,their values, or their future plans or dreams. So we have no grounds onwhich to judge their compatibility. In addition we don't think they areready for a real commitment. Emma may be a doctor, but she's extremelyemotionally immature. The sex seems to be good for both of them but youhave yet to convince us that's a solid foundation.We'd love to tell you these two are The Reel Thing, but we'd just bestringing you along.Visit www.reel-couples.com to rate this couple.

2012-05-18 16:08:25

No Strings Attached

I thought the movie was ok, but found the story line a little difficult to follow. I think we all know where this movie was heading, and I was looking forward to seeing how it got there. I wouldn`t recommend it as a guide!Apart from this movie, I received this package from Amazon some 5 days before they told me it should arrive, so thanks Amazon, well done!

rogerdarlington 2012-05-17 22:56:15

No "When Harry Met Sally"

In 1989, the classic rom-com "When Harry Met Sally" posed the questionof whether a guy and a gal could just be friends without sex getting inthe way. A little over two decades later, "No Strings Attached" askswhether they can just have sex without love taking over. Of course, weare now in the age when so many rom-coms are much more sexuallyexplicit and here we have an excessive number of references to bodyparts and sexual activity. Yet there is very little visual explicitnessand the only naked body on show is male.Diminutive (5' 3") Natalie Portman is obviously trying to do somethingtotally different from her intense role in "Black Swan" as Emma, adoctor with commitment issues, and, pretty though she is, this is not anatural role for her. Tall (6' 2") Ashton Kutcher is more at home asAdam, an aspiring television writer who is originally willing to goalong with the sex-only partnership. Like "When Harry Met Sally", "NoStrings Attached" is written by a woman (Elizabeth Meriwether) anddirected by a veteran of comedy films (Ivan Reitman) but it is not inthe same class, while still being moderately funny and engaging.

tieman64 2012-05-17 08:38:37

May cause other side effects

"No Strings Attached" is a terrible film. Thematically, and verysuperficially, it resembles "gender cinema" of the 1960s (eg "Love WithThe Proper Stranger", "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", "Shampoo" etc),in which supposedly "feminist" female characters free themselves fromthe shackles of patriarchy to become, quite ironically, emancipated,one dimensional, "no strings attached" sex objects for men, beforerealising that, actually, polyamory is overrated and nothing beats goodold fashioned monogamous family values. These "liberation movements",and films, didn't really change anything, so much as they opened up thefemale workforce for exploitation (feminism always ignored class infavour for gender discrimination and sexist oppression). With twice asmany employable people on the market, wages then went down.The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Kutcher's films areall about his giant ego and smug, pretty-boy body obsessions. Here, athoroughly pleased Portman ("Watch me, love me, celebrate the wondersof my gym") matches Kutcher's narcissism blow for blow, the actresscelebrating her newfound womanhood and bodily confidence by constantlythrusting her boyish frame in our faces like she's desperatelyauditioning for a bored paedophile.4/10 – Worth no viewings.

2012-05-16 18:02:20

waste of actors, film and time

awful, raunchy, and a waste of time. I thought it would be a funny film. But should be thrown in the trash. I would give it a 1/2 star if that was a choice.

Harry T. Yung 2012-05-16 06:34:16

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!!