In a romantic comedy about sex without commitment but with consequences, Kutcher introduces Portman to a new genre for her. Portman resists and stress-eats pastries.
Emma (Natalie Portman), a doctor who lacks empathy, accidentally ends up in bed with her longtime friend Adam (Ashton Kutcher). After this incident, he tries to court her, but after meeting a harsh rebuff and a lecture about eighty working hours a week, he agrees to so-called “friendly sex.” Carried away by the idea, the young people even come up with special rules - for example, not to have breakfast together - and also agree to part as soon as one of them gets too carried away.
If it weren’t for the strange rules of the characters, “No Strings Attached” could have been an almost exemplary rom-com. At least, the film has all the data for this. For example, both characters are surrounded by an indispensable retinue of comical friends, one of whom is a hilarious gay. The plot develops in the only possible direction for itself - the final run (everything is as it should be: with a false start and the devouring of cakes, which in Portman’s performance looks like the eighth wonder of the world). Between love affairs, lovers do not forget about their careers. For example, Kutcher’s character, a budding screenwriter, manages to attach his debut script, and Portman’s character is a doctor at all, which in the understanding of American cinema is already a diagnosis.
The Twist: Emma’s Fear of Intimacy
Nevertheless, the trick invented by director Ivan Reitman with Emma’s “intimophobia” turns the whole story upside down. After all, it turns out like this. First, the characters sleep together, and then, falling in love, they suddenly part, which risks causing cognitive dissonance in less emancipated viewers: “Is she completely crazy!”.
However, it is clear that in a world where there is Samantha Jones, the song “Independent Woman” and artificial insemination, this story no longer looks as absurd as it would have seemed, say, half a century ago.
Portman’s Performance and the Film’s Shortcomings
Moreover, in modern Hollywood, there probably wouldn’t be another actress who could kick Ashton Kutcher out of bed with the almost plausible severity that is depicted on Portman’s face in responsible moments. And yet, closer to the middle, the whole story sags somewhat. After all, if the characters have no external obstacles, and the internal ones are difficult to understand, the audience can only look at beautiful dresses and bewilderment on the faces of minor characters, who by that time have already run out of all jokes about sexual dissatisfaction.