A Lot Like Love DVD Review:

Seven years ago Oliver (Kutcher) just happened to meet Emily (Peet) on their way to New York. After a very brief encounter, the pair makes a connection but time and circumstances keep them from going any further. As they part they make a bet to see if Oliver will become a success and he gives Emily his parent’s phone number, telling her to call him in six years when his plan comes into fruition. Fate plays a part however, and the two do meet up again but never at the right time.

Can the path of true love last for over seven years? This the question that ‘A Lot Like Love’ poses but the even bigger question is that can it keep you engaged for one hundred and seven minutes.

Fleeting romances have been a stable part of the rom-com genre and even though the ending is as inevitable as it is predictable, it is the journey to that point that has to keep you engaged. The standard barer for the on of relationship comedy is ‘When Harry Met Sally’, so any film trying to live up to this rom-com legend has a hard act to follow. ‘A Lot Like Love’ doesn’t come close but it is still enjoyable all the same.

Love him or hate him, Ashton Kutcher seems to be more famous for his off screen life than his on screen persona. As his personal life continues to fill the tabloids and his movie choices still not been the best, you forget that there is an actor trying to gain some real attention for his craft but with the odd the exception (mainly ‘The Butterfly Effect’), he just hasn’t given it a chance. This movie goes some way to changes that. While this might not win any awards, the film finally shows that Kutcher can be a rom-com leading man. As Oliver, he is an everyman with a dream, the nice guy everyone likes and someone you wouldn’t mind as a friend. This makes a change from his usual, over the top persona that comes across in films and on his hit TV show ‘Punk’d’.

Amanda Peet is a talented actress that is starting to makes some waves on the big screen. Besides from been beautiful, the actress has a talent for creating believeable characters that you would almost certainly want to know or even fall in love with. As Emily, she is a woman who goes through many changes over the seven-year period. From rebellious rock chick, to needy girlfriend, to a woman with a goal, Emily is a character that is easy to connect with and get behind.

The combination of these two characters makes the movie more watchable than it could have been. The chemistry of the two leads helps this greatly, as British director Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls) takes you through their seven year on-off relationship with skill and passion that easily draws you in.

‘A Lot Like Love’ is a great date movie that doesn’t just pander to either female or male takes on romantic comedies. There is a lot to enjoy here, as it is one of those films that men will not have ‘fake’ enjoyment, just to score brownie points with their better half.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Audio Commentary
Director Nigel Cole and producers Armyan Bernstein and Kevin Messick come together to talk about bringing ‘A Lot Like Love’ to the silver screen. This chatty and informative track comes from the creative team behind the film as they reveal secrets behind casting, the chemistry between Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet and flow of the story. They also talk about the locations used and the removed and edited scenes. This is a decent commentary but it would have been better if Amanda and Ashton had been involved.

Blooper Reel (3.40 mins)
Watch a montage of gaffs and muck ups by Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet.

Deleted Scenes (8.15 mins)
Entitled ‘What do you want, Oliver?’, ‘Changing the face of Dustiny’, ‘What type am I?’, ‘When are you coming home, Oliver?’ and ‘He’s not funny’ these deleted scenes are unfortunately not accompanied by a commentary track or introduction to give the reason why these good scenes were cut.

Music Video preformed by Aqualung (4.11 mins)
Watch the video to ‘Brighter than Sunshine’ from Aqualung which features footage from the movie.

Trailers
Previews of ‘Goal!’, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, ‘The Pacifier’ and ‘The Ice Princess’.

OVERALL

The lack of a making of featurette or interviews with the cast and crew will come as a disappointment to fans of this good romantic comedy. The commentary track is good however and the blooper and deleted scenes are a decent watch but Touchstone could have done so much more with this release.



Jamie Kelwick