No Strings Attached (2011)
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Two friends decide to enter into a 'no strings attached' relationship to avoid falling in love.
The story
Emma Kurtzman, a doctor in Los Angeles, and Adam Franklin, a production assistant, were childhood friends who reconnect as adults. After a night of drinking, Adam ends up on Emma's couch, and the two decide to enter into a 'friends with benefits' arrangement. They agree to have a sexual relationship without any emotional strings attached. However, as they spend more time together, the boundaries of their pact begin to blur, leading to complications in their personal lives and feelings for one another.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Emma Kurtzman and Adam Franklin first meet as teenagers at a summer camp but lose touch as adults. Emma becomes a doctor in Los Angeles, while Adam works as a production assistant. After Adam's father begins dating Adam's ex-girlfriend, a drunk Adam ends up at Emma's apartment, and the two begin a 'friends with benefits' relationship. Adam eventually develops romantic feelings and becomes jealous of Emma's colleague, Sam, leading Emma to end the arrangement. After a period of separation, Emma realizes she misses Adam and they sleep together again. On Adam's birthday, his father announces plans to have children with Vanessa, causing Adam to leave. Emma supports him, and he asks her on a Valentine's Day date, but she reiterates she isn't ready for a serious commitment. Adam decides to end the friendship. Six weeks later, Emma realizes she wants to be with Adam but finds him with a co-worker, Lucy. That night, Vanessa informs Adam that his father is in the hospital. Adam finds Emma at the hospital, where she confesses her feelings. Adam asks her to try a real relationship, and she agrees. They attend Emma's sister's wedding together as a committed couple.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ivan Reitman
- Writers
- Elizabeth Meriwether · screenplay; Mike Samonek · story; Elizabeth Meriwether · story
- Cast and characters
- Natalie Portman · Emma Kurtzman; Ashton Kutcher · Adam Franklin; Cary Elwes; Kevin Kline; Ivan Reitman · musical television show director
- Genres
- romantic comedy; sex comedy
- Themes
- casual sex; fear of commitment; friendship
- Tone and mood
- romantic; raunchy; mixed
- Premise and plot tags
- friends with benefits; romance; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Friends with Benefits
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with praise for the lead performances and chemistry but criticism for the direction and screenplay.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · review count: 173; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The title was changed to avoid confusion with a different film with a similar premise that opened on July 22, 2011.; Ivan Reitman makes a cameo as a musical television show director.; The film was first announced in March 2010 as an untitled project.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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