Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Gio Perez, Joel Garland; Director: Andy Tennant; Producer: Neal H. Moritz; Screenwriter: Sarah Thorp; Music: George Fenton; Editor: Troy Takaki; Genre: Romance: Cinematography: Oliver Bokelberg; Distributor: Columbia Pictures; Location: USA; Running Time: 106 mins.;
Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above
Milo (Gerard Butler) is an ex-cop turned bounty hunter who spends his days chasing losers who skip bail and nights being a loser who gets too drunk to wake up the next day. Nicole (Jennifer Aniston) is a dedicated reporter chasing a high profile murder story. They have been married once and divorced after 9 months of irreconcilable differences and now passionately hate each other. Their paths cross when Milo is assigned to arrest his ex-wife after she fails to appear in court in order to pursue her story. Unfortunately, Nicole treads dangerous waters as she uncovers corruption and deception within the police and Milo gets into trouble with his gambling and creditors. The story moves on amidst the couple’s hatred, the bad guys chasing them, Nicole’s determination to get her story and Milo’s desire to get even with his wife for breaking his heart.
One word comes to mind after the first quarter of the movie ... predictable. Audience already know by that time that Milo and Nicole will try to outwit each other until they get back together, that the bad guys will be able to corner them but end up in jail and that the movie will try its best to be funny and memorable but fail to do so. The scoring is cute and choices of songs appropriately capture that comedy of each scene. The pacing is enhanced by vibrant camera works and quick editing. The performances are respectable with a good chemistry between Aniston and Butler. However, all these do not make up for the weak storyline and even weaker development. This might not be the best choice for a feel good romantic movie.
Marriages work only when couple are willing to accept each other’s weaknesses and shortcomings on the one hand, and are ready to admit their own faults and mistakes on the other. Walking out of the marriage is not the solution. Instead, couple should always have the desire and exert effort to work around the differences and focus on the love. Amidst, the chasing and the bickering, the movie wants the audience to realize that when love is real and true, it cannot be easily extinguished by personality clashes or distance. And if only husbands and wives become less self-absorbed and more humble, their love for each other will always prevail. The movie is better suited for older audiences because of its theme, language and some sexual innuendos. (PMF)
