Tuesday, May 24, 2022
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
FLICKFEAST
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews Film Review

No Strings Attached (2011)

Kevin Matthews by Kevin Matthews
July 17, 2012
in Film Review
14
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Here is the first big problem with No Strings Attached. It’s not Friends With Benefits. Now, good grief, I’m not saying that Friends With Benefits is the breezy rom-com that I measure all others against but it’s a fact that both No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits cover the same ground, with the latter being the much better movie. In fact, as I saw Friends With Benefits last year I couldn’t help using that title when trying to discuss this movie. I almost wrote Friends With Benefits in the post heading above. It’s the essence of this film and the phrase is even used at one point, which makes comparison and confusion almost inevitable.

The second big problem with No Strings Attached is that it’s just not very good at all. Despite two decent leads (I know that a lot of people dislike Ashton Kutcher but I’ve always found him to be likeable enough and Natalie Portman is pretty much a lovely ray of loveliness in everything she does), the comedy leads to very few laughs, the romance element never has any chemistry to make it believable and the whole thing feels unimaginative and very, very stale.

You might also like

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

The Innocents (2021) – Film Review

The central premise is simple – Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher are two attractive young people who decide to try and be, as you might have already gathered, friends with benefits. Of course, the movie questions whether or not that situation can ever work.

Attractive cast? Check. Bland and inoffensive soundtrack? Check. An indie darling and one or two respected elders lending support to the leads? Greta Gerwig, Kevin Kline and Cary Elwes = check.

The script by Elizabeth Meriwether may not be very lively or all that amusing but I found that easy to forgive because, frankly, I don’t know who Elizabeth Meriwether is and this may have been her first full screenplay (which, in fact, it is). What I find sad is the fact that Ivan Reitman directed this. Most of the cast have had their share of mis-steps, Meriwether has plenty of time ahead of her to make progress and Hollywood is always trying to push a rom-com on audiences they hope will lap it up. But Ivan Reitman, while far from perfect, has always managed to provide me with reasonable entertainment. I can admit that I even chuckled at a few moments in My Super Ex-Girlfriend (okay, not too many moments but I chuckled nonetheless). This is the worst thing that I’ve seen from him and, from all those involved, he really should have known better.

DIRECTOR: IVAN REITMAN
WRITER: ELIZABETH MERIWETHER
STARS: ASHTON KUTCHER, NATALIE PORTMAN, KEVIN KLINE, GRETA GERWIG, JAKE JOHNSON, LUDACRIS, CARY ELWES, MINDY KALING, LAKE BELL, OLIVIA THIRLBY
RUNTIME: 108 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA

Film Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Tags: Ashton Kutchercary elwescomedyelizabeth meriwetherGreta GerwigIvan Reitmanjake johnsonKevin Klinelake bellludacrismindy kalingNatalie PortmanNo Strings AttachedOlivia Thirlbyromance
Kevin Matthews

Kevin Matthews

Kevin Matthews lives in Edinburgh and has done for some time. He loves it there and he loves movies, especially horrors. No film is too awful to pass through his cinematic haze.

Related Posts

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

by Katie Smith-Wong
May 23, 2022
Benediction (2021)
Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

by Jasmine Valentine
May 19, 2022
The Innocents (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

The Innocents (2021) – Film Review

by William Stottor
May 17, 2022
Father Stu (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Father Stu (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
May 12, 2022
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Film Review

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) — Film Review

by Jasmine Valentine
May 11, 2022

Recommended

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)

January 11, 2011
VENICE 2015 – Spotlight (2015)

Win Spotlight Blu-ray

August 17, 2021

Don't miss it

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Film Review

May 23, 2022
Benediction (2021)
Film Review

Benediction (2021) — Film Review

May 19, 2022
Top 100 Greatest Movies Films
Spotlight

100 Greatest Movies (and 50 Honorable Mentions)

May 23, 2022
The Innocents (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

The Innocents (2021) – Film Review

May 17, 2022
Father Stu (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Father Stu (2022) – Film Review

May 12, 2022
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Film Review

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) — Film Review

May 11, 2022
flickfeast

Whetting your appetite for cinema with the best film reviews and features since 2009

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

Posting....