No Strings Attached is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed and helped produce by Ivan Reitman. The movie stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. It tells the story of two friends who agree to a "no strings attached" relationship, meaning they will not fall in love. The film first showed in Westwood, Los Angeles, on January 11, 2011. It was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on January 21, 2011. Some people praised the main actors' performances and how well they worked together, but others criticized the film's direction and story. The movie earned $149 million, which is much more than its $25 million budget.
Plot
Emma Kurtzman and Adam Franklin meet as teenagers at a summer camp where their families are also attending. They see each other sometimes over the years but do not keep in contact. As adults, Emma becomes a doctor in Los Angeles, and Adam works as a production assistant for a musical TV show. Adam learns that his father, Alvin, a former comedian, is now dating Adam’s former girlfriend, Vanessa. Feeling upset, Adam drinks alcohol and calls several women from his phone. The next morning, he wakes up on Emma’s couch, where her friends joke about him crying and sleeping without clothes. Emma helps him find his clothes, and the two have sex.
They have sex again at Adam’s home and agree to a friendly relationship where they have sex but are not in a romantic relationship. Over time, Adam begins to feel romantic feelings for Emma and becomes jealous of her coworker, Sam. Emma, who prefers not to have emotional connections, ends their arrangement. Later, she realizes she misses Adam and, after drinking, goes to his apartment, where they have sex again.
On Adam’s birthday, Alvin announces he plans to have children with Vanessa. Adam leaves the celebration feeling upset. Emma comforts him, and Adam asks her to go on a real date with him on Valentine’s Day. The date goes well, but Emma says she is not ready for a serious relationship. Adam, wanting more, decides to end their friendship. Six weeks later, at her sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner, Emma realizes she wants to be with Adam. She calls him, but he does not return her feelings. She drives to his apartment and sees him arriving with his coworker, Lucy, whom she assumes is his new girlfriend. Heartbroken, she leaves without speaking to him.
That night, as Adam and Lucy prepare to have sex, Vanessa calls to say Alvin is in the hospital. Adam goes to the hospital and sees Vanessa waiting outside. She tells him she does not want to have Alvin’s children and does not like older people. Adam sees his father and leaves. Outside the hospital, he finds Emma driving up, informed by a colleague. Emma confesses her feelings, and Adam asks her to try a real relationship, which she agrees to. They attend Emma’s sister’s wedding together. Alvin recovers and begins dating Lucy, while Adam and Emma start a committed romantic relationship.
Production
The movie No Strings Attached was directed by Ivan Reitman and based on a screenplay written by Elizabeth Meriwether, originally titled Friends with Benefits. The title was changed to prevent confusion with another film that had a similar story and was released on July 22, 2011. The movie, produced by Paramount Pictures, was first announced in March 2010 as an unnamed project. Actors Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman were chosen for the main roles, and Paramount planned to release the film on January 7, 2011. Reitman noted that young people today often find it easier to have a sexual relationship than an emotional one, saying, "I noticed from my own kids that with this generation in particular, young people find it easier to have a sexual relationship than an emotional one. That is how the sexes deal with each other today." Main filming began in May 2010. By November 2010, the movie was renamed No Strings Attached, with a new release date of January 21, 2011.
Although the timing was unrelated, Portman appreciated the opportunity to play a character very different from her role in Black Swan.
Soundtrack
"No Strings Attached: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack for the film. It was released on February 15, 2011, by Lakeshore Records."
Release
No Strings Attached had its world premiere on January 11, 2011, at the Fox Village Theater in Los Angeles, California. The film was released in 3,018 theaters in the United States and Canada on January 21, 2011. Its main audience group was women aged 17 to 24, and its main competitor was The Dilemma. Tracking data showed that the target audience became more interested in the film as its release date approached. Tracking also found that Hispanic audiences had strong early awareness of the film. The studio expected the film to earn between $15 million and $25 million in its first weekend, similar to other romantic comedies with an "R" rating (restricted to people 17 years old and older) by the Motion Picture Association of America. Since No Strings Attached was the only wide release in the United States and Canada at that time, it was unclear if it would rank first at the box office above The Green Hornet, which had opened the previous weekend with $33.5 million.
In the end, No Strings Attached earned $20.3 million in its first weekend. Seventy percent of the audience were women. According to CinemaScore, audiences under 25 gave the film an "A−" grade, while those over 25 gave it a "B" grade. Future earnings were expected to depend on the younger audience group.
The film earned $70.7 million in the United States and Canada and $78.5 million in other countries, for a total worldwide gross of $149.2 million.
No Strings Attached received mixed reviews. Review site Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 47% rating based on 173 reviews, with an average score of 5.30 out of 10. The site’s summary said the film benefits from Natalie Portman’s performance and director Ivan Reitman’s direction but fails to fully develop its humorous premise. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 50 out of 100 based on 36 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.
Critic David Edelstein said the film has a "feminist" theme but does not strongly support the main character’s perspective. He criticized the overuse of typical characters, Reitman’s "heavy-handed" direction, and a story that is "corny and contrived." A. O. Scott called the film "not entirely terrible" and compared it to other romantic comedies like 27 Dresses and Leap Year. He noted that the film’s humor comes from some dialogue and the talent of the cast but called it a missed opportunity to highlight the unique talents of actresses like Amy Schumer and Mindy Kaling. The Telegraph named No Strings Attached one of the worst films of 2011, saying the film felt more like deleted scenes from Black Swan than a romantic comedy.
No Strings Attached was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 10, 2011.