Day 86 -- No Strings Attached

Released: January 21st, 2011

Starring: Natalie Portman, Aston Kutcher, Jake M. Johnson, Kevin Kline, Ludacris, Olivia Thirlby
  
Writer/Director: Elizabeth Meriwether/Ivan Reitman

Description: A guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more.

[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]

***

Usually my choices for this project come from either an actress that I enjoy watching on screen, or a subject matter that seems interesting, or it's an indie that got a lot of praise. While this film does have Natalie Portman in it, which satisfies the first quota, she was not the reason I chose it. In my many hours of listing to podcasts, I heard Elizabeth Meriwether talk about the process of getting the film produced and how it was in process well before the very similar "Friends with Benefits". Well, at least the premise was the same.

Meriwether's writing style is easily recognizable in "No Strings Attached", especially for those who are fans of her TV show "The New Girl". Her quirky sense of humor is littered throughout the movie, and her propensity to create an independent and unique females character is what helps separate this movie from other romantic comedies. Even though it does fall into the traps of most rom-coms at times, her strong comedic writing make the jokes funny rather than eye-rollers.

The film's story consist of Adam (Kutcher) and Emma (Portman), who first met at summer camp when they were 14, and periodically run into each other over the next decade. After a night when Adam is drunk dialing everyone in his phone, he eventually passes out at Emma's place. They have spontaneous sex and leave the apartment. From this point forward, the plot takes a little bit of a detour from your stereotypical rom-com as male character is the one who develops feeling first, and the female character is the one who just wants sex.

No offense to Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, but the chemistry needed to make this love story believable require the talent and experience in the genre that Kutcher and Portman provided. The audience believed almost every second of their relationship. Obviously there were scenes that induced the groans that are natural while watching a movie of this ilk. The glaring example was the milkshake with two straws part of the "date" which was the weakest part of the movie's story. Only because almost every other convention in the film was written with a different spin, but this scene screamed lazy  But Kutcher and Portman's chemistry allows you to glance over this mistake something the other two actors wouldn't have been able to do.

I have to admit, I forget how good Portman is in a comedic role. Even though I've seen "Garden State", her comedic timing always surprises me. Probably more known for her dramatic roles and who can blame people after she won the Oscar for "Black Swan", Portman can hold her own and improve any film from any genre. She is one of the best all-around actors of our generation.

Kutcher has a niche, and this type of film is it. He was born to be the lead in romantic comedies. While some would see this as a derogatory comment, it's really a compliment. Think of how many actors try and fail to succeed in the genre. Ben Affleck wishes he could pull it off as well as Kutcher, and even Matthew McConaughey falls short in most of his attempts. Kutcher has the charm and timing to create an interesting character; it is impossible to not root for him to succeed. It's a skill and shouldn't be mocked.

There were very few moments or performances that disappointed me, which isn't to say this was the greatest rom-com ever, but it one of the best I've seen in a while. Meriwether's writing made me laugh out loud a few times and I never rolled my eyes at a punch line. Even the "period" scene was done in a way that was funny and interesting. The bit about Adam making Emma  a "period" mix-CD -- every song was about blood and flow -- was fresh and perfect way to show the progression that Adam's character had made toward showing his feelings for Emma. 

"No Strings Attached" succeeded because of it writing, acting, and it's terrific supporting cast, which included the always funny, Kevin Kline. Most rom-coms tend to follow a paint by number script that's all too familiar to veteran movie-goers, but Meriwether's fresh take on the genre gives us hope that a good story can actually exist in the rom-com world. 

Rating: 5.5/10 -- While it's fresh and new, it's still being held back by some conventions that I'm disappointed weren't changed. Kutcher and Portman look good together and create some good chemistry. A prime example of what a great support cast can do for a movie.

Day 32 -- Killers

Released: June 4th, 2010

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Aston Kutcher, Tom Selleck

Writer/Director: Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin/Robert Luketic

Description: A vacationing woman meets her ideal man, leading to a swift marriage. Back at home, however, their idyllic life is upset when they discover their neighbors could be assassins who have been contracted to kill the couple.

[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]

***

The main premise of an action, romantic-comedy is that there must be chemistry between the leads. Without that chemistry, everything just falls flat. Jokes aren't funny, the drama isn't all that dramatic, and the films story really isn't all that interesting. It one of the few genres where everything depends on something so unpredictable.

Unfortunately, for "Killers" the producers chose Aston Kutcher and Katerine Heigl. For two actors, who from the outside look like they should play well off each other, there is zero chemistry on the screen. There was not one point in the movie where I even believed their relationship, especially when she started freaking out about his hidden past. The fact that the writer had to throw in a pregnancy storyline, showed how desperate they were to make the audience care about something.

To be honest, I don't how Heigl keeps getting rom-com roles. There's not one stand out performance in the genre where a producer can say, 'well, she did well in [insert movie] that one time.' Even Julia Roberts, who made a solid living of the genre, has "My Best Friends Wedding" on her resume. The next time Heigl makes a good movie, it will be her first. Her closest is "Knocked Up", and she had absolutely nothing to do with that film's success.

Kutcher, on the other hand, usually excels in this kind of role. But for some reason, he falls short. He handles the action parts, but it's obvious that it's not his strong suit. He was strong with his delivery on the comedy, but he really had nothing to work with through out the film. Even Selleck was flat.

"Killers" tried so hard to be "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", but forgot that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are two of the best actors working today. It's not easy to insert any two good looking actors into a movie and expect the movie to do well. Sure, it may make money because of name recognition, but it's been a long time since box office revenues automatically equals great movie. "Killers" was basically a money-grab, and anyone that says otherwise, doesn't know how the industry works.

Rating: 4/10 -- Really poorly executed movie. The concept was cool, but everything else was crap. Kutcher must have needed to get out of the house because this is below even his mediocre standards.