No Strings Attached

Synopsis: In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning.  » « No strings » means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. It means they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever public place they want, as long as they don’t fall in love.

About the ProductionWhen the notion of exploring an of-the-moment, R-rated story that turns the romantic comedy formula on its head landed on Ivan Reitman’s desk, it didn’t take long for the Oscar�-nominated veteran filmmaker to see the cinematic potential in the premise.

Ivan Reitman says, « I had been working with [screenwriter] Elizabeth Meriwether for about three years, and every evolution of the script gave me something that I really responded to. I felt, ‘Here’s a story about characters, about people dealing with a very contemporary dilemma.’ Interesting people, very funny people, speaking frankly about love and sex. And I just fell in love with it. »

Natalie Portman No Strings Attached

Elizabeth Meriwether explains, « I was really into the idea of a love story that started with a kiss instead of ending with one. That’s what happens in real life sometimes and as someone who loves romantic comedies, I wanted to write one that felt modern. »

« I think the compelling idea here is the concept that contemporary young adults have a much easier time having immediate sex with a partner than having a romantic relationship-a true emotional involvement with someone, » continues Ivan Reitman. « That’s what interested me. A little over 20 years ago, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ asked the question whether a man and a woman could be friends without sex getting in the way. Frankly, I think the question today is , ‘Is it possible for a man and woman to have a purely sexual relationship without emotions getting in the way?' »

An emerging playwright in New York, Elizabeth Meriwether seemed like the perfect voice for her generation, one that is smart, savvy and technologically engaged. Montecito Pictures producer Jeffrey Clifford took the initial meeting with Elizabeth Meriwether. Explains Jeffery Clifford, « After our first meeting and getting the sign-off from Ivan Reitman, Elizabeth Meriwether went away and came back with a script. It was her writing from her heart and experience, and when the script came in, it was one of those rare times where you know immediately it’s going to be a movie. Elizabeth Meriwether has a unique voice, and the script crackles and has a sense of humor that is subversive and completely distinct. »

Ivan Reitman (who had just come off of producing the multi-award-winning « Up in the Air » with his son, filmmaker Jason Reitman) offers a very simple reason why he wanted to return to directing: « I got inspired. I loved the work Jason Reitman did as the writer/director of ‘Up in the Air’ and it reminded me how much I love telling stories-creating movies with good ideas, ones that are all about character and performance. I had mostly been doing bigger films with lots of special effects, and basically, I got jealous. And as Elizabeth Meriwether’s script was evolving, I thought, ‘Well, here’s an opportunity for me to do that kind of a comedy.' »

Elizabeth Meriwether’s motivation was to write a movie that depicts the ins-and-outs of modern relationships: « The chronology of a lot of people’s relationships starts with hooking up and immediately goes to a place of not knowing what’s going to happen. The hook up then happens a couple more times, so you have a discussion to determine whether or not it’s something real, and that’s the way it goes. We’re used to seeing romantic comedies where they fall in love, kiss and then suddenly, they’re expected to be together and know exactly what to do. »