The Bounty Hunter
Oh, how I long for the days of black comedies when a great seductress like Kathleen Turner could play naughty or nice, and still manage to have you rooting for her in the end (such as in the classic War of the Roses)! Unfortunately there has not been a new queen of dark comedies in this current era, and it’s a shame as this film could have been a great one. Instead we have a decent romantic comedy, with a good storyline and two likeable movie stars, but it could have been so much more.
Directed by Andy Tennant, The Bounty Hunter stars Jennifer Anniston as investigative reporter Nicole, who feels that a recent suicide at a police evidence room is not what it seems. When she fails to attend her own court appearance over a traffic offence, she is brought in by a bounty hunter, who just happens to be her ex-husband, Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), who she hates.
When I heard of this film, I thought Gerard Butler was beginning to step away from his sexy, tough guy image that we had first seen of him in 300. During the past few years he has done several romantic comedies, most recently The Ugly Truth, in which I thought his character was boring. Also, I thought he didn’t imitate a very good accent. I still think he has great potential, though, so I went into this screening with an open mind. Jennifer Anniston is another story. She is certainly a star who has seen her status rise the last few years in hits like Marley and Me, but she needs to bring more warmth and humor to her characters, as I don’t think she could ever be compared to someone like romantic comedy actress Meg Ryan.
The film moves at a moderate pace, with some funny scenes between several of the different characters, as well as some interesting action scenes with car chases. Unfortunately, neither of the lead characters are that funny, do not have any real chemistry and the script is very thin. After about two hours you wish the movie would just finish as it keeps stretching out the scenes with the supporting characters to try and keep up the comedy spark going. Christine Baranski is quite good as Nicole’s Atlantic City showgirl mother, and Jason Sudeikis is decent as Nicole’s colleague, along with other characters including a cop, tattoo artist and debt collector. However, with the plot and lack of originality they don’t give the film the assistance it needs. All in all, I think this is a bit of an improvement of lead actors in a romantic comedy that we have seen recently, but lets hope Hollywood soon gets back to the level of comedic potential in actors and not just their bankability.
The Bounty Hunter • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 • Running Time: 110 minutes • MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content including suggestive comments, language and some violence. • Distributed by Columbia Pictures