No Strings Attached is a 2011 romantic comedy about a guy and girl who try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it’s not long before they learn that they want something more.
Today’s Netflix pick is a down and dirty sexy comedy starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher and while it gets tossed about as that ‘other movie’ that’s not the Justin Timberlake / Mila Kunis comedy Friends with Benefits, it’s a pretty solid bit of fun with two great performances and lots of cheesy good times. It’s No Strings Attached and it’s what you’re watching tonight. Here’s why.
THE STORY: Two old pals from summer camp, Emma (Portman) and Adam (Kutcher), end up in each other’s arms one night as adults when Adam accidentally texts her for a hook up and get’s wasted. She’s a doctor and he’s an assistant for an MTV-style television show and the two decide to keep a casual sexual relationship, the two take to it pretty heavily, though Adam warns her not to fall in love. You can bet though that once another man shows some interest in her, things change for Adam. As they fight and make up and separate again, the two begin to realize, despite their arrangement that maybe there is something more to them the great sex.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: Like any good relationship, it’s all about the chemistry and no matter the acting chops on Kutcher, he’s endlessly watchable, always endearing in a kind of goofy way that makes him fun to watch. Portman, who has a reputation for being one of her generation’s greatest actors, really takes to some of these obvious easy breezy movies, giving these films some depth. Such is the case here as she makes the film all the more grounded, despite the fun it has with it. Kutcher too has some good dramatic moments and while it doesn’t quite go as far as it could with both its sex and its themes, there’s plenty of light-hearted fun to be had for a solid evening of rom-com fare. It’s streaming on Netflix now.