Play It Again, Kyla

Is a kiss still a kiss? Is a sigh just a sigh? Do the fundamental things, in fact, apply? Join host Kyla as she seeks to answer these questions and more by rewatching and analyzing beloved films with the help of colorful guest commentators. Each episode focuses on a specific film with Kyla and guest discussing their personal analysis thereof. In doing so, they will seek to understand the different values of watching and rewatching media. Do these films hold up? What are they trying to say? And what about them can only be noticed and/or appreciated after multiple viewings? Tune in to find out how these questions and more will be answered each week!

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Play It Again, Kyla

No Strings Attached (2011)

June 05, 2020 • Kyla Percival

The next installment in our extra special Natalie Portman birth-week extravaganza! Listen as host Kyla and special guest Carrie discuss No Strings Attached. How well does this film hit all of the essential romcom beats? How does it manage to subvert the expectations of its genre? Is Emma Kurtzman (of Camp Weehawken) the most complex female romcom protagonist? Tune in to find out!

Essential romcom checklist:
1. Ridiculously good-looking leads
2. Plucky, comic relief best friend(s) who steals the show
3. Lead(s) has unconventional relationship with their boss
4. The location/city is central to the story
5. A memorable soundtrack
6. A scene of singing (even though this is not a musical)
7. An older, veteran actor who is not particularly known for their work in the romcom genre appears
8. A ridiculous degree of suspension of disbelief is required for the premise to work
9. The lead(s) has somewhat of an unusual job
10. Most of the presented social life of the lead(s) revolves around work
11. An obstacle to the relationship occurs as the couple falls deeply in love
12. There is a race against the clock for a romantic reunion
13. A line or action during the emotional climax hearkens back to a previous moment of bonding for the central couple