New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Brett Beach: I first want to say a sad eulogy for Ivan Reitman's career as it now stands (and I actually enjoyed My Super Ex-Girlfriend) and hope that one day a "From the director of..." credit may again grace a movie poster for one of his films (or worst-case, "From the father of the Oscar-nominated director of Juno.") For a low-level budgeted film, to nearly make back that figure opening weekend should never be downplayed. I would attribute the opening to the current buzz around Portman and the novelty of seeing her (for now) in a sex comedy throwing herself into the sack with wild abandon. I am not sure if I see it pulling off a What Happens in Vegas, but it should make some nice coin here with a strong supplement overseas.

Michael Lynderey: I'm actually kinda disappointed. I sort of saw this one as the second part of a one-two Portman punch, with Black Swan setting up the latter film for some potentially very hefty box office. If Portman can carry '70s-style psychosexual ballet drama to $100 million (and she will, oh yes, she will), then surely she can do very Blartian things with an audience-friendly romantic comedy, especially since she appears to be THE female movie star of the moment?

But what's happened is that No Strings Attached will end up more or less where Ashton Kutcher's Just Married was eight years ago, and it's entirely possible it won't even outgross that one even if you don't adjust the numbers. For Kutcher, that's actually kind of impressive (delivering more than a handful of $50 million grossers certainly isn't easy), but I thought Portman could really take this one to another level. Maybe if it were a better movie...

Reagen Sulewski: But then you have to ask yourself, Michael, what has Portman done that would inspire people to check her out in a comedy? For the vast majority of people, the only thing they've ever seen her in is Star Wars. Portman has more credibility and fame than Kutcher, but it's him that has the comedy chops. Maybe that changes going forward, but it's really his rep you have to compare this to.

"Academy Award winner Ashton Kutcher." You know it's coming.

Kim Hollis: With Ashton Kutcher suffering through a couple of missteps such as The Killers and Natalie Portman on the rise due to Black Swan, this seems like a good time to ask which of these actors do you believe will have a better career over the next few years and why?

Josh Spiegel: Despite my disdain for this movie, I'd say it's Portman. Her presumed Oscar win will help there, but that plus her upcoming roles in big-budget blockbusters should help boost her profile for at least the rest of this year. Kutcher's career has been the same for a long time, and his role in No Strings Attached isn't that much different from everything else he's done. Portman at least is attempting diverse roles, and succeeding some of the time.

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5