No Strings Attached by Ivan Reitman attempts to answer that question. Emma played by Nathalie Portman first meets Adam, a rather likeable Ashton Kutcher at summer camp when they are both around the age of 12. Even then their characters are quite clearly defined, Emma is compassionate but firm when Adam who is obviously more “in tune” with his emotions, bursts into tears when he tells her about his parents imminent divorce.
Several years later at a frat party, they meet again and Emma invites Adam for this silly “thing” as she calls it to which he turns up in a bright yellow Michigan university sweatshirt. First real (cruel) laugh. The “thing” is Emma’s father’s funeral and one cannot help but think that the woman is a robotic ice block who simply does not deal with anyone’s emotions especially her own; a little scary since she is working towards becoming a doctor and with this kind of attitude, one wonders how she could possibly relate to her patients !
The two accidentally bump into each other at a fair, with Adam this time, taking Emma’s number despite the fact that he is in a relationship with the empty headed Vanessa.
Adam is an aspiring writer who works on a television show which looks like a cheaper version of Glee. After having broken up with his girlfriend, Adam decides to focus more on his career and goes to seek professional advice from his father played by the always wonderful Kevin Kline. He is completely shocked to find out that his father Alvin who was once a famous TV star, is now living with Vanessa!more
Crushed and humiliated by this discovery, Adam decides to get dead drunk with his two best buddies Wallace and Eli and says he will call every single number on his mobile until a woman accepts to sleep with him. This scene is briefly amusing as Kutcher is quite good at acting idiotic and drunk. The next day; he wakes up naked on an unknown couch. It so happens that he has landed at Emma’s apartment which she shares with three other interns. That scene too is quite amusing as all except Emma decide to poke some fun at Adam.
When he goes back to her bedroom to retrieve his pants (he seems to have done quite an elaborate strip tease and scattered his clothes just about everywhere in the flat), the two have quick (Emma gives him ten minutes because she needs to get ready for her shift at the hospital) but very enjoyable sex which pushes Emma to suggest that they continue having casual sex together without ever falling for each other. No romantic entanglements here and no fondness!
Thanks to a quick montage, we are able to witness the numerous places and positions experimented by our two non love birds. But of course emotionless sex can last for a while perhaps, not forever.
The problem in this film is that it did not last for long enough. All of a sudden it is Valentine’s Day, Emma is agreeing to go on a “real” date with Adam who is clearly, madly and mushily in love with her. She too of course adores him, but in true tough cookie style is doing her very best to resist that emotion.
Since No Strings Attached falls into the category of Rom Com, the end is sadly predictable but funnily enough this film is very watchable not because of the beauty of the settings nor the script, but because of its entire group of actors both main and supporting. Portman is extremely convincing as this slightly emotionally handicapped human being who does not believe in long lasting love and mainly lacks time and energy to enter a serious relationship. She is after all a young and driven woman who works most of the time and barely sleeps so where could she possibly fit in the commitments which come along with love?
But Kutcher is the real revelation of the film as this “ annoyingly happy person” who keeps falling for women who WILL make him suffer. However none of those failures transform him into some female bashing human being. He remains decent and caring and as his own father says “A good guy with a big heart”.
The film got an R rating, probably not for its crude language which is minimal nor the sex scenes, but for the theme in itself. Though No Strings Attached is certainly not the deepest production ever made and has an obvious ending, it handles lightly and pleasantly the issues of emotional and physical commitment. So can one have regular casual sex without falling in love? Watch the movie and find out!
Courtesy - The Sunday Leader By Sumaya Samarasinghe
