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Romantic comedies and chick flicks are probably two of the most successful genres, and it has nothing to do with their technical aspects. They are feel-good movies, meant to give women a glint of hope in their love lives.
In that sense, “No Stings Attached” succeeds.
Natalie Portman plays Emma, an emotionally distant doctor, while Ashton Kutcher is Adam, the assistant on a “Glee”-like TV show. They are friends, but after one crazy night, they decide to become more — friends with benefits.
There are no emotional attachments and no strings. All sex.
It all seems to work perfectly until feelings get in the way. They start to fall for each other but Emma is in denial. Their thing ends up falling apart and they go their separate ways for a while.
Portman, who recently played a disturbed ballerina in “Black Swan,” was cute, cynical and capable of occasionally eliciting a giggle from the audience. Kutcher, famous for being the comedian, was goofy and charming.
But the real hilarity comes from Emma and Adam’s friends. As always, the best friends could be counted on to attempt to cheer up the main characters and provide the bulk of the comedic relief.
In fact, there is one scene where Emma and her three roommates — one is a gay man — were all on the same cycle. They were cranky and snippy but avoided any clichés. That scene almost makes the trek to the theater worth it.
But let’s not forget the parental role. Occasionally, there is a parent in these movies who also contributes to the laughter. In this case it is Adam’s dad, Alvin, played by Kevin Kline. Unfortunately, the part falls flat. Whether due to subpar acting or subpar lines, the movie could have gotten along fine without Kline’s character.
In all, the acting was predictable and so was the plot. For anyone who has seen more than one romantic comedy, they know how the story goes. It has two main characters, a happy beginning and middle, a crisis three quarters of the way through, which is then resolved and the main characters live happily ever after.
The script was nothing genius. It was able to get laughs, but they were few and far between. It’s strange the movie wasn’t funnier because the director, Ivan Reitman, did “Ghostbusters.” But then again, since he wasn’t going for outright comedy, Reitman did a decent job.
As far as romantic comedies go, this one is good. Though the plot was predictable, it had its golden moments, as did the actors. This is a typical chick flick — an escape from reality. Nevertheless, the formula works and leaves viewers with a pleasant feeling — maybe there is hope for my love life.
Grade: C
