Not being one for cheesy romantic comedies, I was a bit hesitant to see No Strings Attached, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, which opened in theaters Jan. 21. From the trailers, the movie looked cute but trite, raising the age-old question of whether friends can have sex without developing feelings for one another-like When Harry Met Sally for the modern age. Despite my initial doubts, No Strings Attached left a good impression on me. While some predictable parts of the movie lived up to my expectations, like the cliché role of Emma's (Portman's) flamboyantly gay roommate (Guy Branum) and a handful of offensive, low-brow date rape jokes, there was a charm to its quirky humor and off-the-cuff style. Elizabeth Meriwether's screenplay is delightful, and director Ivan Reitman succeeds in creating an atmosphere of gentle, awkward romance. The movie avoids the fate of most romance flicks, which resort to sappy, melodramatic platitudes. Rather, Portman and Kutcher are able to portray the tenderness of their relationship convincingly, with many of the more romantic scenes still remaining down-to-earth.

The main question the movie sets out to answer is, "Can friends have sex but not develop emotional attachments to one another?" However, that question is never really explored, since Emma and Adam (Kutcher) obviously have feelings for each other from the start, even before they start sleeping together. Rather than answering the question it claims to ask, the movie falls into the more familiar genre of lovers afraid to open up their hearts after they've been burned. This gives the movie a somewhat shallow feel, as the deeper questions such as the meaning of love and how to separate the physical from emotional are never asked. Nor do we learn why the two would prefer to be friends with benefits over dating. Instead, we get cliché insights from her mother and sister about their baggage and the role Emma had been forced to take on within her family. A more in-depth psychological probing would have added infinitely more depth to Emma's character and would have made her relationship with Adam more compelling. However, despite its hollowness, the apparent chemistry between the leads and the realistic dialogue save it from lapsing into the territory of the boring and unfunny, where many romantic comedies end up.

All in all, I would give No Strings Attached three out of four stars. It is a sweet story with a unique sense of humor and a moving tenderness. Portman and Kutcher outshine the rest of the cast by far and prove their worth in the romantic comedy genre. Portman, who just received the Best Actress Golden Globe for her role in Black Swan, seems much more comfortable playing the emotionally reserved, cynical girl to a tee than in her Swan role, which only required her to maintain a constant expression of nervousness and horror.

Kutcher wows as well, proving that he can play parts other than the goofy, irresponsible teen, a reputation he earned for roles in Dude, Where's My Car? and That '70s Show. In this film, he plays a more three-dimensional, developed character-one who is not afraid to reveal his mature, caring side. Overall, it is truly the writing that makes this movie worthwhile, with dialogue that is funny but astute, cute yet realistic.

Although it is not the movie to watch in your quest for the answer to life's questions, it is the right movie for when you need cheering up or are doubting the existence of love: light and easy, just as a romantic comedy should be.