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Parents' Guide to

No Strings Attached

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Sexy romcom is cliched but surprisingly sweet.

Movie R 2011 110 minutes
No Strings Attached Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Cstans
Cstans Adult
December 2, 2019
age 17+

Cute but Definitely Mature

It’s your run-of-the-mill cute, albeit predictable, romcom, only add way more sex. The sexual innuendo, sex talk, sex scenes, etc. that you typically expect from a romcom? Multiply it by 10 and you’ve got this movie. There were a couple scenes that even made me uncomfortable and I am a grown woman.

This title has:

Too much sex
dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
October 26, 2019
age 13+

Ashton is great so is Natalie.

I thought it was a good movie I like the ending it was sweet a movie for teens and adults.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Emma Kurtzman (Natalie Portman) and Adam Franklin (Ashton Kutcher) meet as 14-year-olds at Camp Weehawken, where Adam makes an awkward (and crass) pass that Emma turns down. Later, they run into each other at a frat party at Adam's college, but even that moment slips away. It's not until they get reacquainted again in Los Angeles, where Emma's doing her residency at a hospital and Adam is working on a Glee-like TV show, that they finally become friends ... with benefits. Adam's eager to date, but Emma's not up for anything more than casual sex. Or is she?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (24 ):

The set-up is standard issue and lacking in conflict, the dialogue hokey. Cliches are everywhere, including one particularly aggravating scene that has Portman's character stuffing her face with donut holes after a romantic disappointment while listening to songs with Significance (with a capital S, naturally). Must every romcom include a scene in which women ease their heartache by overeating?

Yet NO STRINGS ATTACHED is surprisingly entertaining. Like the role or not, Portman commits to Emma, and we, in turn, commit to her. (Not so much with Kutcher's Adam, though he's not terrible.) The rest of the ensemble -- Mindy Kaling, Greta Gerwig, Kevin Kline, and Lake Bell -- is also impressive; they're a ridiculously talented bunch who make the usual supporting-cast peccadilloes amusing. It's also refreshing to have the female character as the one who's commitment-phobic, while the guy sits around waiting for his phone to ring (or ping with a text, as they do these days). All of these pluses distract from the film's flaws, but you may still ultimately have trouble forgiving them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the idea of a "friends with benefits" relationship. What messages does that kind of arrangement convey about love and commitment? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values when it comes to dating and relationships.

  • What's the appeal of romantic comedies? Although they tend to follow the same predictable formula, they remain popular. Why do you think that is?

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