No Strings Attached

            Awww relationships, are they ever easy? Do they ever not get complicated? The complexity that is a romantic relationship has developed so many questions and answers and variable solutions that a whole industry has been created. Men trying to understand women and vice versa. The movie industry is no newbie to playing to this facet of human life either. There have been tons of romantic comedies made over the years that try to play to different, but often hit similar angles of the romantic relationship. In the movie No Strings Attached however I believe they actually played to one of those different angles.
             The movie introduces us to Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher). They aren't best friends or get set up together. They meet at a summer camp when they're teenagers and then don't stay connected. They bump into each other a couple of times over the years with the last time being while they're both adults and living in LA. Emma is a doctor and Adam is a production assistant on a Glee like TV show who is trying to become a writer without the help of his father Alvin (Kevin Kline), an old TV star who is perhaps one of the worst father figures ever.
              Emma and Adam's relationship begins randomly as what came off to me as the releasing of years of built up sexual tension. Here's where the plot begins to hit those different angles. From here on there's not a lovey dovey relationship. Instead, the two agree to have a strictly sexual relationship and nothing else. Plus, Emma is not only the one to purpose it, but is the most persistent they stick to the rules. Of course, here comes into play how long they can go without real feelings and emotions becoming a problem.
              What I liked most about this movie was how they played it to their audience; young people. The plot was rich with jokes and dialogue with dealing with relationships using texting, Facebook, phone calls, and everything else used today to communicate between people. The whole idea of a relationship with no strings attached may not be new, but I feel like it's probably more or a common thing in today's day and age. Plus, with the slight twist of Emma being the least emotional/committing character instead of Adam, gave me and I'm sure other viewers the feeling of watching something fresh.
                Now it wouldn't be a romantic comedy without the supporting cast of characters around each main character to provide comic relief. This movie had a nice collection of surrounding talent including Kevin Kline, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jake Johnson (Paper Heart), and Mindy Kaling (The Office). They all do their jobs well with many good lines, as do Portman and Kutcher who have a nice realistic chemistry throughout the movie as their relationship evolves.
                 I highly enjoyed this movie as I thought it was quite funny and ended nicely without being too cheesy. I give it a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. I believe it's a good date movie as both parties can easily enjoy it. It may still be in some theaters near you, otherwise you'll have to wait for it come out at Redbox, OnDemand, or Netflix. Enjoy.