No Strings Attached is a simple rom-com and as such there’s not really all that much to say about it from a review point of view. However, with the bedroom antics focus of the story, there’s a bit more in terms of the parents guide notes and age rating, which you can see below.
DVD review
The 2011 film is funny in parts and sort of endearing, but it’s also a little cheesy around the edges. That makes is a light, fun watch and with Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Ashton Kutcher leading the cast, it’s got enough redeeming features to make the DVD half decent.
AdvertisementThe storyline is all twenty first century romance with Kutcher and Portman making an arrangement to bump bits without any heart strings getting involved.
Needless to say, it’s only a matter of time before the rules get broken and a crazy tug of war ensues for the creation of new relationship terms of endearment.
Aston Kutcher plays the charming doofus fairly well and Natalie Portman’s cute and pseudo-ditsy Emma is pretty funny throughout the film. It’s preppy, American romance that’s sort of sweet overall, but if you’ve got even the faintest whiff of alternative perspective or cynicism in your blood this might not be the movie for you.
Emma is a doctor and too busy saving lives for all of the emotional baggage of relationships, so when she accepts Adam’s drunken hookup request, it seems like the perfect setup. However, Adam is way too emotional to just stick with that. It’s a film that takes its time and plays around with relationship dynamics a little, but at its heart of hearts its a rom-com through and through.
Added extras on the No Strings Attached DVD include a film commentary by director Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghostbusters, Twins – literally the guy is an eighties legend), which is worth a watch whether you’re into the film or not. There’s also an alternative storyline scenes and other deleted scenes from the director’s cutting room floor that add to the enjoyment.
No Strings Attached DVD review: 3.5/5
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Parents guide and age rating
No Strings Attached has been given an R certificate in the US, but in the UK the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has awarded it an age rating of 15. It was a similar story for lookalike rom-com Friends With Benefits, which came out in the same year, but had Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake in the place of Natalie Portman and Aston Kutcher.
AdvertisementParents guide notes include strong language, and as you can probably guess, there are both sex scenes and sexual references in the film to take into account. The F word crops up a fair bit and while there are no actual naked shots, the sex scenes go for a fair amount of realistic intent. All of this is why the film has an R certificate in the US, which means children under 17 would have needed an accompanying adult or guardian to see the film on the big screen.
You can check out our film news section to see the latst on big releases that are on the way to the big screen, or visit the paramount Pictures website to see more on the film at https://www.paramount.com/.
