Hollywood starlet Natalie Portman is all the rage these days on the heels of her critically acclaimed performance in the wildly popular Black Swan, but she also stars in a lighter comedy that’s currently in the theaters, No Strings Attached.
While co-starring with handsome goofball Ashton Kutcher can’t possibly bode well for a movie’s critical perception, we’re wondering whether anything can stop the Portman hype right now. She is, after all, pregnant — and a Long Island native, to boot. What’s not to like?
In No Strings Attached, Portman plays a foxy but emotionally unavailable doctor who keeps her booty-call boy, Kutcher, at arm’s length so as to stave off those messy things we call, “feelings.” Humorous? Perhaps. A work of art? Dubious.
Here’s what some experts are saying:
Scott Ross of NBCNewYork.com says No Strings Attached is amusing but crass.
Richard Corliss of TIME.com notes that Portman does a nice job of breaking from her usual casting as a buttoned-up heroine.
Joe Morgenstern of the WallStreetJournal.com calls the flick surprisingly funny and well-acted.
Claudia Puig of USAToday.com says the films works but could have been better if it went further off the beaten path.
Bill Goodykoontz of ArizonaRepublic.com calls it funny but ultimately predictable.
Peter Travers of RollingStone.com lauds the leads’ collective gravitas but laments the story’s predictability.
Robert Ebert of SunTimes.com calls it a PG-13 movie masquerading as R-rated.
A.O. Scott of NYTimes.com said the movie surpassed his extremely low expectations.
So, synthesizing a consensus from these reviews and others, it seems like No Strings is a pretty good Rom-Com — at least better than many of them out there — but falls short of greatness. Portman lives up to the hype.