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I have refused to watch No Strings Attached
for a long time until I finally gave in last week. I really didn't understand why Natalie Portman would choose such a pointless role right after she scored the Academy Award for Best Actress in Black Swan. I felt like it was an insult to her fans and her talent. Then again, she's the one reading the screenplays and choosing her movies. Add this to the fact that I am not a fan of Ashton Kutcher or Hollywoodian Rom-Coms and you get why I did not watch it. But last week I needed a light movie to watch and after reviewing Frances Ha and Black Swan and figuring out that Greta Gerwig and Natalie Portman were both in No Strings Attached, I thought "what the hell, let's watch this." After all, only idiots don't change their minds. This movie is a typical textbook romantic blockbuster. It covers all the symptoms. Attractive and successful leading duo in total love denial, nice friends you can't help but feel sorry for, and a happy ending that you see coming from miles away. You see it coming even before it begins as the trailer already gives too much. There is one thing I liked about the movie though; the plot goes against convention and reverses typical Rom-Com roles in presenting the man as the helpless romantic who wants to settle down and the woman as the player who only wants to use him for sex. This movie fits Kutcher or Jake Johnson but I expect much more from Portman and Gerwig. I can only hope this won't happen again in their career. No Strings Attached is an entertaining comedy with funny lines but it won't make history.
for a long time until I finally gave in last week. I really didn't understand why Natalie Portman would choose such a pointless role right after she scored the Academy Award for Best Actress in Black Swan. I felt like it was an insult to her fans and her talent. Then again, she's the one reading the screenplays and choosing her movies. Add this to the fact that I am not a fan of Ashton Kutcher or Hollywoodian Rom-Coms and you get why I did not watch it. But last week I needed a light movie to watch and after reviewing Frances Ha and Black Swan and figuring out that Greta Gerwig and Natalie Portman were both in No Strings Attached, I thought "what the hell, let's watch this." After all, only idiots don't change their minds. This movie is a typical textbook romantic blockbuster. It covers all the symptoms. Attractive and successful leading duo in total love denial, nice friends you can't help but feel sorry for, and a happy ending that you see coming from miles away. You see it coming even before it begins as the trailer already gives too much. There is one thing I liked about the movie though; the plot goes against convention and reverses typical Rom-Com roles in presenting the man as the helpless romantic who wants to settle down and the woman as the player who only wants to use him for sex. This movie fits Kutcher or Jake Johnson but I expect much more from Portman and Gerwig. I can only hope this won't happen again in their career. No Strings Attached is an entertaining comedy with funny lines but it won't make history.
, through its trailer, I felt instant infatuation. The black and white esthetics, the New Yorker thread, the witty humor, 
. Everything caught my attention. When I finally managed to get a first date - the 9pm screening - I was nervous and excited. Excited because I couldn't help but think about this movie everyday. Nervous because I was afraid my expectations were too high. Like before any date, I took forever to choose my outfit. I opted for something casually fashionable. I brought a friend with me so it would be more like an informal get-together. No pressure. Then I apprehensively bought my ticket and sat down in the theater. And that was it, I definitely fell for Frances Ha as soon as the movie started. Not Frances, the protagonist, who reminds me too much of myself. But Frances Ha, the movie. This is a very touching and hilarious picture directed by Noah Baumbach. The black and white esthetics highlight the modernity of the tackled themes and give a certain depth to the comedy. The screenplay written by both Gerwig (who plays Frances) and Baumbach is a genuine reflection of the main character's personality. It is witty, quotable and seems a little disjointed but it holds itself together in the end. I could easily identify with Frances. She is lost somewhere between childhood and adulthood. She is a 27-year-old non-graceful apprentice for a dance company, lives in New York City, has an intense bond with her roommate and college best friend. When Sophie - the best friend - decides to move out of Brooklyn and ditch her friend for a hip apartment in Tribeca, Frances will have to finally force her way into adulthood. This is an unusual love story to tell on screen since it deals with the love between two best friends. Frances is the adorable friend you wished you had. Passionate and a little crazy, Greta Gerwig delivers a very convincing and natural performance. The rest of the cast is also very credible.