No Strings Attached vs. The Mechanic: Which Red Band Trailer Packs in More Explicit Content?

While Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher's sex comedy No Strings Attached and Jason Statham and Ben Foster's violent non-comedy The Mechanic wouldn't appear to have too much in common, both films have just released restricted red band trailers to let you know that they are seriously R-rated. So based on the two trailers, which film will lose more money from 13-year-olds buying tickets to other films and sneaking in? Let's take a look at the breakdown of sex, violence and language in each trailer to get a better idea.

Sex and Nudity:

· No Strings Attached - The entire trailer is peppered with self-conscious and usually annoying sex jokes. Sure, the dialogue is explicit, but seriously..."tunnel buddies?" "Happy ho-lidays?" Come on.

Still, I count at least five clips from actual sex scenes in the trailer, though Kutcher bares more flesh than Portman. The trailer shows him shirtless at least three times, and his butt takes up the entire screen towards the end of the trailer. As far as Portman, we see her in lingerie twice and shirtless once with nothing exposed. Plus there's a glimpse of her back during maybe the most explicit sex scene (which loses points for being in fast-motion). There is also one unknown girl in a bra and panties.

· The Mechanic - Unknown beautiful girl does a brief sexy dance and makes love with Jason Statham in soft-core porno lighting. We glimpse this once in close-up and once from behind (which means you just see her back). But at least it's not in fast-motion.

Advantage: No Strings Attached, but just barely. Plus, according to the warning on the red screen at the beginning, The Mechanic has nudity and No Strings Attached only has "sexual content." So really, this can go either way.

Language:

· No Strings Attached - Five "f*cks," one "b*tch."

· The Mechanic - One "f*ck," one "Goddamn."

Advantage - No Strings Attached

Violence:

· No Strings Attached - Kutcher bangs his head against the table.

· The Mechanic - Statham throws a dude out of the window of a bus and into traffic where a car immediately splatters his head! Also, point-blank shots to the head and kneecap, as well as a harpoon through someone else's kneecap. At least 1,000 rounds of ammo fired in this trailer.

Advantage - The Mechanic

Verdict:

· No Strings Attached - Pass! I was pretty okay with the last trailer, but this new one seems like it's trying way too hard. Again, "happy ho-lidays?" Really?

· The Mechanic - Sure! This trailer was the same as the last except with more of everything, including Ben Foster.

Note: The trailers below are NSFW.



Comments

  • Lew says:

    Re: The Mechanic...Yeah, yeah, so? Want to get really bold? Create the two lead male characters as they were in the original book pre-Bronson film. Those male characters were GAY LOVERS. Otherwise, title this something else.