Dale Robinette | Paramount Pictures

The quirkily enjoyable chick flick “No Strings Attached” may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

“Strings” (directed by “Ghost Busters” veteran Ivan Reitman) tells the story of two mid-20-somethings, Emma (Natalie Portman, who won’t be receiving an Oscar nod for this film) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher). While the two are polar opposites, a series of accidental meetings leads to their peculiar friendship. Eventually, Emma and Adam decide to become “sex friends,” a plot point evident from the film’s title.

Portman is pleasant and amusing in her portrayal of Emma, an overworked doctor just looking for someone with whom she can blow off some steam. It’s a completely different role from the dark ballerina audiences saw in “Black Swan.” Although “Strings” never reaches the heights of “Swan,” it’s enjoyable for that very reason. “No Strings Attached” is simply a feel-good chick-flick, predictable in every one of its would-be plot twists.

Aside from Portman’s delightful turn as a powerful and witty female character, the best parts of this movie are the supporting actors. Greta Gerwig and Mindy Kaling play Patrice and Shira, two of Emma’s roommates, each with love-related problems of their own. Adam’s friends Eli and Wallace (Jake Johnson and Ludacris) match the comedy of the ladies’ raunchy dialogue by giving Adam misguided but well-intentioned romantic advice.

“No Strings Attached” is not without flaws. Kutcher delivers his typical boy-next-door charm with ease, but even his dopey good looks can’t save him from being overshadowed by Portman in every scene they have together.

Cynics be warned; this isn’t a movie for you. You’ll just end up scoffing at the contrived ending, with Kutcher’s saccharine eye-roller, “If you come any closer, I’m never going to let you go.”

It’s sad how far the romantic comedy has fallen. The genre responsible for gems like “High Fidelity,” “Pretty Woman” and “When Harry Met Sally” has been reduced to oversimplified versions of the same basic plot. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy tries to get girl back. We all know how the story goes.

But then I see a movie like this—one that sticks to the known storyline and ends with a pop-rock montage—and I realize one very important aspect of our culture: Nothing says “I’ll love and care for you forever” quite like a period mix CD.