Eventually, everyone in Emma’s life, including her roommates and fellow doctors Shira (played by Mindy Kaling) and Patrice (portrayed by Greta Gerwig) and her sister Katie (played by Olivia Thirlby), sees a potential relationship for her and Adam. But Emma refuses to listen to them and follow her heart, as she’s afraid she’ll get hurt.
Screenwriter Elizabeth Meriwether deserves credit for infusing a unique idea of making her lead female character commitment-phobic instead of the lead male in the redundant rom-com sub-genre. However, Meriwether continuously reminded audiences that �No Strings Attached’ is her first major screenplay, as she failed to include any of the elements that make a rom-com successful. While Adam occasionally gives Emma romantic glances and tells people he is starting to care for her, he never proves his true love to her. He also wants to protect his image so much that he doesn’t want to fight for her.
Meanwhile, Emma is afraid of opening up to Adam, as she doesn’t want to get hurt. While audiences may assume that Emma emotionally shut down after her father died in the beginning of the movie, she refuses to discuss anything serious, and instead just wants to live in the moment. Continue reading But it’s never fully explained why she’s unwilling to give love a chance