Really Surprised!

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I actually had a few laughs, and didnt really epect this kind of movie not to have kliche. But again, I was pretty disappointed when in the end we had to watch the lead's sister (a totally unimportant character who appeared in maybe 2 scenes during the movie) while having a child, without any epidural, screaming! This was solely to insult women and make men laugh at us!

Yeah, while watching, I really felt very disappointed, what a bummer this one is. You expect so much, much more from Natalie Portman. But then, some time after the halfway mark, there is a marked improvement fueled by that restaurant scene, let's call it the Burning Man conversation, with Emma telling Vanessa the score exactly as it is, and swaying me over towards her for the first time.But prior to that (and remember what I often mention in my reviews: First Impressions Count, they define the experience you're gonna have of the movie - very few pictures improve as they go along, so judgment is made very early on), this movie, this big star-driven effort, plods along like there's A Lot Of Chains Attached.Besides Young Emma, whom I soon began thinking should rather grace the screen again, the only really cute thing during the first half is the impressions done by that Saturday Night Live girl - Nemo and Drew Barrymore. What a scene-stealer. Then, the hilarious girl-girl scene. With somebody like Ivan Reitman at the helm, you would certainly not expect that such a drab performance by the female lead would persist all through the first half. I mean, any director watching the inflow should have noticed the under-performance. ESPECIALLY if she's NATALIE PORTMAN.But do note that unlike the other reviewers here, I am pointing out that there is an improvement as the flick progresses. I was actually mentally preparing myself for the scything comments I was gonna make about this big production that fails to deliver, but Natalie (and the script) does better further on. Too late though.Truth remains, it needed, at the very least, a partial remake.And I remember only too well that decades ago I predicted such big things for Natalie after first seeing THE PROFESSIONAL. At her best in NO STRINGS ATTACHED, she is just run-of-the- mill. I am grading on a curve, tall trees catch more wind, and all that. Maybe Natalie was taking a break here, just kicking back?

..say what you will.. these guys are very good... it's the little repeated moments that prove the point.. and to be sooo young, and way above immensely talented, and to top it off standout beautiful.. it will be no questions a constant uphill struggle to keep your head screwed on on straight.. the film is fun (no wow writing credits) but the guys chosen to speak the lines well return their rewards.. it's one of the basic rom-coms in every sense of the term.. what makes this one better beyond the majority plays out on screen, as all these guys are just really fun to watch.. it's always a big debate.. casting or script... this one is an easy choice

It is what it is. No Strings Attached is another formulaic romantic comedy. OK, there's a bit of a twist in this one in that the couple doesn't actually want any romance. They skip the love and go straight to the sex, no strings attached indeed. There will be no feelings involved. Wham bam thank you ma'am. Same time tomorrow? But golly gee, these two just might start developing feelings for one another after all. Who ever could have foreseen that? There's a sense of inevitability about this movie from the very first minute. You know where it's headed. The movie may be on a journey to an obvious destination but at least it does a reasonably decent job of entertaining you along the way.Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman play the couple in question, Adam and Emma. Kutcher is never likely to win any major acting awards but he is serviceable in fare such as this. He's just a big lug, endearing enough. And it's important here that he be endearing because in this movie it's obvious from the start that it's his Adam, not Portman's Emma, who is more open to the idea of love. You need to feel for Adam as he goes through the movie's tried and true romantic comedy formula ups and downs. Kutcher pulls off what is required of him. Portman meanwhile shows off a different side. After the dark, ultra-serious Black Swan it's nice to see her able to just cut loose and have some fun. This movie is certainly not uproariously hilarious but it has its funny moments and Portman plays her part, showing some comic chops. And of course she shows her vulnerability too because the rom-com formula demands it.The arc of their respective careers has shown Portman to be clearly the more talented of the two leads in this movie. But Kutcher holds his own, he and Portman make a good match. The chemistry isn't perfect, the sparks never really fly. The movie tries to be raunchy at times but never really commits to it, ultimately the whole thing is a bit tame. No cinematic masterpiece to be sure but there are enough good moments to carry the film to respectability. All in all it's pretty good fun. The very simple story is spiced up a bit by some interesting supporting characters. Kevin Kline is a hoot as Adam's dad, a total cad. Lake Bell draws some laughs as an incredibly socially awkward woman who pines for Adam. Greta Gerwig, Mindy Kaling and Chris Bridges (yes, 'Ludacris') are among the others who wander in and out of the movie to provide a laugh or two. There's also a largely unrecognizable Cary Elwes who sadly gets absolutely nothing to do, a bit of a waste his casting was. Of course, as with all movies of this genre, the whole thing really rests on the shoulders of the lead couple. It's their movie. And Kutcher and Portman do enough to both entertain you and actually make you care about their characters. No Strings Attached is not a movie that rises above its genre, it doesn't stand out in any meaningful way. But for what it is it's not half bad.