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Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman coast by in mindless romantic comedy

Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back. Add a lot of sex to this sequence, and No Strings Attached loyally follows the traditional romantic comedy formula. The movie, released Jan. 21, is only saved from banality by its interesting secondary characters and few genuine, comedic and romantic moments.

The story begins when Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) meet as high school students at camp, where Adam confides in her that his parents' divorce is the reason why he had to leave home. As Emma stiffly tries to console him and he tries unsuccessfully to seduce her, their friendship is cemented. Years later, they meet again as adults. After a morning of casual sex, the two decide to develop a strictly physical relationship on Emma's strict condition that they don't fall in love.

Predictably, Kutcher begins to fall for Portman's serious and slightly awkward character, and everyone who has ever seen a romantic comedy knows what follows. Still, the story is kept fresh by two elements: the struggle between Adam and his actor father (Kevin Kline) , and the legitimate romantic scenes shared between the two protagonists.

There are also a surprising number of engaging comedic moments in the film. Among them is a standout scene when Adam makes a "Period Mix" CD - featuring songs such as Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" and U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - for Emma and her roommates. Another character to watch is Adam's coworker, Lucy (Lake Bell), who puts herself and others in uncomfortable situations with her overzealous, loquacious personality. Rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges

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