No Strings Attached

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A guy and a girl (Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman) decide to use each other for sex, without any expectation that it'll go anywhere.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Olivia Thirlby, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jake Johnson, Mindy Kaling, Talia Balsam, Ophelia Lovibond, Guy Branum, Ben Lawson, Jennifer Irwin, Adhir Kalyan, Abby Elliott

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Everybody knows that when you don't have any expectations, that's when things go well. And everybody also knows exactly how this story is going to go well. But what it lacks in conflict, suspense, and surprises, it makes up for in utter cuteness.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: More than a lot of romantic comedies, but less than a lot of R-rated comedies.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's all too predictable to get you crying, but when Kevin Kline tears up it's actually one of the better laughs.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Authentic Performance by an Actress in a Romantic Comedy. I don't know what it is that Natalie Portman is doing, but it just works.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ashton Kutcher finally found a leading lady who's prettier than he is! Also, beautiful guest performance by Lake Bell. What she does in this movie isn't as obvious as she makes it look.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I once had a directing teacher who said that 90% of a director's work is having good taste in material. And that's what Ivan Reitman does best. I know this because I've seen an s-load of his movies, and I can't remember a single shot from any of them. Okay, that's a lie, there is one shot I remember-- but who could forget the slow pan, in Twins, over to Arnold Schwarzenegger's starry-eyed grin, after the first time he has sex?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The premise holds together by a string because Ashton Kutcher is clearly in love with Natalie Portman from the first, second, third, and forth time they meet. So when they say things like, "Let's keep doing this until one of us starts to have feelings for the other," it rings completely false because he already has feelings for her. Meanwhile, her excuses for not getting more involved with him are convoluted, contradictory, and mostly very thin.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The line from the trailer where he says he can't date her because she's his oldest friend is not in the movie. This is not a friends with benefits situation, because they were never friends first. I kept waiting for the part where they would be friends, and it never came. This lacking element caused me great confusion about why they weren't giving a relationship a shot, since they were already in one.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: No Strings Attached Trailer

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Valentine's Day

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Love is really hard and painful, but if you can look past all of a person's personal crap, at least you will have someone to spend Valentine's Day with.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Queen Latifah, Eric Dane, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Carter Jenkins, George Lopez, Bryce Robinson, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Matthew Walker, Larry Miller, Kristen Schaal, Erin Matthews, Julia Springer, Megan Suri

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie has too many falsities to mention, but if you can look past all of its personal crap, at least you will know that beautiful people can find each other in time to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a couple of good laughs, several of which are in the credit bloopers, and one of which (for me), came after the preview for Clash of the Titans 3D-- it was a subscript that read "2D offered in some theaters!"

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I did. I felt really stupid about it at first, but then I ran into a friend in the bathroom, and she had also cried at the same part. I'm telling you this so that you don't have to feel stupid when you cry, too.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best looking couple. Pick one.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Let's talk about Taylor Swift. I can't decide if she is awful or brilliant. She plays a dumb, awkward high school student, and I didn't really buy her dumb act, but her awkward act is to perfection... to the point where it almost sells the dumb act by default. While we're on the topic of Taylors, Taylor Lautner gives a bizarrely stiff performance. And after seeing several of Rob Pattinson's recent indy film efforts, I think I'm starting to lean heavily toward team Edward-- at least where acting ability is concerned.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I love Garry Marshall so much. He doesn't come out to direct that often, but when he does, we can always count on him to bring the schmaltz!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: At first I was getting a headache from trying to keep all the characters and storylines straight, then I went through the part where I scoffed at how the characters and storylines crossed too coincidentally, and then I was frustrated by how easily many of the stories resolved. But by the end, there were some clever surprise twists, which you'll remember more than you'll forget how forgettable the rest of the movie is.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/valentines-day/37962/trailers

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