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Adam (Ashton Kutcher) is an aspiring screen writer/production assistant working in Hollywood living in the shadow of his father (Kevin Kline), a famous TV sitcom dad. Emma (Natalie Portman) is a sharp tongued resident medical student with a lack of desire for intimacy. As fate would have it Adam and Emma have known each other for years but personality conflicts have always kept the two as acquaintances; when the two finally break through the friend zone and become sex partners their relationship takes a turn. Can the two handle the arraignment or will their feelings get in the way; and, will Adam ever get over his dad’s consistently bad life choices? Sounds like a predictable romantic comedy right? There has to be a catch right? Well of course there is, you see, the big twist is it’s the girl who’s emotionally distant not the guy. Ehhh, okay, so it’s not a huge twist, and the film is still predictable, but you know, it wasn’t all that bad. The humor comes fast and sharp and it keeps the film aloft. Meanwhile, Kutcher and Portman have believable chemistry and that counts for a lot in this genre. Playing to these two strengths Director Ivan Reitman gives us mindless fun that feels relevant for modern couples. Matinee fun, No Strings Attached is rated R.

After a major shipbuilding company downsizes its operations dramatically a group of company men (Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones) are left to pick up the pieces of what they poured their life’s energy and work into. In particular the film follows Bobby Walker (Affleck), a high end salesman for the company and his struggle to find work, a challenge that leads him to asking for work for work from his brother-in law (Kevin Costner), but is that the right answer? And, who will survive in the new corporate climate? Maybe it’s just my cynical nature, or maybe it’s that the subject matter is too soon, but ultimately this film left me with a feeling like “yeah so?” There’s nothing here that you can’t get just by turning on the TV or knocking on the front door to your next-door neighbor. If we examine film as a reflection of our society, there’s no mystery as to what this film is saying, the corporate climate is a brutal and sometimes nasty place to be, but who in America today doesn’t already know that? While the actors all play their part just fine, the real crux of the matter is that by the end of the film, I don’t really care anymore or less about their characters or storylines, more to the point, I’m not so sure we even see a compelling story arc with any of them. Maybe this will play differently for audiences in 20 years when our economic climate is different, but for now, pass. The Company Men is rated R.