No Strings Attached Blu-Ray Review

Movie Review

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) met each other once at a school summer camp but never committed.  Several years later, they meet again and Adam is now a writer and an assistant on a TV show and Emma is a nurse.  When Adam discovers that his father Alvin (Kevin Kline), a washed-up actor, is having a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, he goes on an all-night bender.  Waking up in Emma’s house, he finds comfort in her and they have spontaneous sex too.  They decide that they should restrict their relationship to this level as she isn’t comfortable with dating.  She decides to keep it a secret from her housemate’s Patrice (Greta Gerwig) and Shira (Mindy Kaling).  Typically, Adam feels left out by this demand and tries to develop the relationship into something more with the help of his friends Wallace (Ludacris) and Eli (Jake M. Johnson).  Can they find true love together or will their insecurities get in the way?

This is your typical romantic comedy, so let’s get that out of the way straight off but what sets it apart from the others is its subject matter and the fact that it is the female character that has the commitment issues. The subject matter is decidedly adult which is refreshing, with a lot of the comedic moments coming from the couples friends especially Eli (Jake M. Johnson).  It really is a decent watch although it doesn’t try and do anything majorly new or try to reinvent the genre.

Director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, My Super Ex-Girlfriend) is no flashy helmer but he knows how to draw the humour out of certain difficult circumstances, although he never reaches the heights of his 80′s golden era which doesn’t bode well for Ghostbusters 3.  The script is polished if a little overlong while cinematographer Rogier Stoffers makes the film look slick and easy on the eye.

The lead actors are really likeable, something which most people won’t say about Kutcher, I always find him charming and he knows his comic timing.  Portman on the other hand is a breath of fresh air especially after her Oscar winning role in ‘Black Swan’.  She came off that set and went straight to this one and it’s great to see her not taking herself to serious, with this and ‘Your Highness’ this year she certainly knows how to bring the funny.  Kevin Kline is a riot here too as Kutcher’s father who plays the role as a child in an adults body all pent up sexual energy and suave lines to the ladies.

The supporting cast are ones to watch out for, Greta Gerwig has been on the indie circuit for a while, last being seen in ‘Greenberg’ with Ben Stiller, while Mindy Kaling is always funny on the US Office and she translates well here but lastly and definitely not least is Jake M. Johnson who you may have seen in some TV shows of late but he’s going to be big very soon as he’s so humorous here.  This film has laughs a plenty and with great beautiful actors playing off of each other, you couldn’t spend a Friday night in front of the TV any better, worth a watch.

Video Presentation

Instead of pumping up the contrast in favour of coppery skin tones, the palette stays relatively natural and unobtrusive.  It still has a warm look to it, but everything appears much more normal and pleasing to the eye.  The clarity is near demo-quality with many of the scenes here feature wonderful, sharp detail.  Blacks are evenly balanced, and like I said before, contrast is top-notch.  There are no technical faults to report with aliasing, banding, and other annoying artefacts are nowhere to be seen.  All in all, this is a really great looking release.

Audio Presentation

This isn’t a mix that’s going to rumble your foundation, but it does well with what it’s got.  This is a talkative romantic comedy, so the dialogue is very important. Here it comes through clear and concise through the front and centre channels.  There are a few times where characters yell witty lines from just out of frame that directionality places perfectly.  Whenever a hip-hop song comes bumping onto the soundtrack the low-end frequency does a great job at providing some deep bass.  Ambient sound is also a little light, but there aren’t many scenes that really call for it. A couple busy restaurant and party scenes have some well-rounded surround sound to them.

Extras

Audio Commentary — Ivan Reitman is the only one on this track which doesn’t work out all that well since he’s very reserved, with long stretches where he doesn’t say anything.  He provides some welcome information on the movie’s plot, its characters, and the way he wanted the movie to feel.  Still, this is one of the more lacklustre commentaries I’ve heard.

Sex Friends: Getting Together — this is basically the making-of featurette for the movie.  They take a look at the script and its genesis. The cast of well-known faces is discussed. Basically your standard promo featurette.

Inside the Sassy Halls of Secret High — Here they discuss how the dance numbers were filmed during the scenes that are obviously trying to mimic High School Musical and Glee.

Deleted Scenes — Six deleted scenes in all and few are worthwhile scenes.

Alternate Storyline Scenes — A couple alternate subplots that weren’t followed in the final cut of the movie.

This is a pretty decent romantic comedy to snuggle up to on a Friday night; it’s got beautiful people falling in love with each other and does it with a smile on its face, worth a look.’

‘No Strings Attached’ is out to rent or buy on DVD and Blu-Ray now.