Portman's Post-Oscar Work Isn't Too Embarrassing

A LOOK AT...

OSCAR FORECAST:

SUNNY SKIES WITH NO CHANCE OF OSCARS.

There seems to be a trend among Best Actress winners. They'll win an Oscar and then follow it up with some craptastic movie that makes you resent they ever won. Or maybe that's just how I see it.

But Natalie Portman's post-Swan move appeared to be a mistake on the outside (starring alongside Ashton Kutcher!? Are we being Punk'D?) but I was pleasantly surprised watching No Strings Attached.

Currently the #1 film in America, No Strings Attached is definitely a formulaic romantic comedy that capitalizes on the current trend of sex humor. In one weekend it almost made back its entire budget as horny audiences piled in to see how dirty Kutcher & Portman get. Guilty!

Portman portrays Emma, an intelligent woman who gets involved with Adam (Kutcher) an intelligent man who decide they're going to have a strictly physical (friends with benefits) relationship and of course that doesn't happen as one becomes more emotionally involved than the other. I was shocked to learn that Portman served as an executive producer on the film and I think in the end it's what saved it. The film plays with sex and sexuality but doesn't really get too raunchy - which actually makes the question of "Can a friends-with-benefits really work?" actually worth pondering. That's better than sitting through the film and being subjected to sex scene after sex scene with beautiful actors as characters we could care less about (see Love and Other Drugs) here we actually begin liking both Adam & Emma and hoping for the best for them which is the primary ambition for all romantic comedies. It's what you pay for. Portman is notorious for being specific about what parts of herself (literally) she'll show on screen and what's better left for the imagination and it's this type of confidence and caution that makes the character of Emma even more appealing and someone you can relate to.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all - is Ashton Kutcher. I've never seen That 70's Show so I can't rate his TV acting but I've never enjoyed any of his film work. I truly did enjoy him here. I found his character to be charming, funny, frustrating and sweet. Kutcher seemed to take the limitations of the screenplay and elevated the character of Adam just enough to stay within the safety of pop-corn but also present enough of a character that you can become involved in the story. I expected just to see Kutcher get to make out with Portman - but got much more and I was happy about that. I also really liked his haircut, which is a definite plus! Portman & Kutcher are also nicely supported by an up-and-coming cast of actors (Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Olivia Thirby) who aren't household names yet but are on the path to becoming ones you'll someday learn.

At the end of the day, it's not a movie you're going to be astonished with due to its amazing writing or realism in acting - but it's something fun and cute enough to sit back and enjoy without too many strings attached. Viva La Pun!

FRUGAL RATING:
I WOULDN'T SPEND MORE THAN $7 TO SEE NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

Sidenote:  

Natalie Portman stars in the Don Roos drama The Other Woman currently playing on IFC Demand and in theaters Feb. 4. Later in the year, she will be starring as a princess bride in Your Highness and in token damsel role opposite Aussie-Haute Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel big-screen extravaganza of Thor!

If you enjoyed Ashton Kutcher in Valentine's Day, well see him again on New Year's Eve which he will be starring in later this year. Another Gary Marshall confection in which he makes A-list celebrities look like shallow opportunists!