No Zing Attached

Rating: 5/10 (25 September 2017)

Yeah, while watching, I really felt very disappointed, what a bummer this one is. You expect so much, much more from Natalie Portman. But then, some time after the halfway mark, there is a marked improvement fueled by that restaurant scene, let's call it the Burning Man conversation, with Emma telling Vanessa the score exactly as it is, and swaying me over towards her for the first time.
But prior to that (and remember what I often mention in my reviews: First Impressions Count, they define the experience you're gonna have of the movie - very few pictures improve as they go along, so judgment is made very early on), this movie, this big star-driven effort, plods along like there's A Lot Of Chains Attached.
Besides Young Emma, whom I soon began thinking should rather grace the screen again, the only really cute thing during the first half is the impressions done by that Saturday Night Live girl - Nemo and Drew Barrymore. What a scene-stealer. Then, the hilarious girl-girl scene.
With somebody like Ivan Reitman at the helm, you would certainly not expect that such a drab performance by the female lead would persist all through the first half. I mean, any director watching the inflow should have noticed the under-performance. ESPECIALLY if she's NATALIE PORTMAN.
But do note that unlike the other reviewers here, I am pointing out that there is an improvement as the flick progresses. I was actually mentally preparing myself for the scything comments I was gonna make about this big production that fails to deliver, but Natalie (and the script) does better further on. Too late though.
Truth remains, it needed, at the very least, a partial remake.
And I remember only too well that decades ago I predicted such big things for Natalie after first seeing THE PROFESSIONAL. At her best in NO STRINGS ATTACHED, she is just run-of-the- mill. I am grading on a curve, tall trees catch more wind, and all that.
Maybe Natalie was taking a break here, just kicking back?