A Lot Like Love Movie Review:


Ok, there are romantic comedies. I accept that they exist. But why are there so many different ones all about the same thing and the same story. You can call me a pessimist when it comes to the conception and storyline of the romantic comedy but when it stars Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, I gotta scream foul.

Kutcher and Peet star as pseudo-versions of star-crossed lovers except that instead of getting all droopy eyed and checking each other out they decide to have a mid-flight romp in an in-flight lavatory during a cross country flight. Then well after joining the mile-high club, they still aren’t sure if they like each other.

The rest of the film takes place over the course of ten years while Kutcher and Peet keep running into each other or by desperation phone call. Each carry on relationships with other people but always have each other in the back of their minds.

Oh be still my bleeding heart, will these dumb-schmucks find true love? Is this Hollywood? You betcha.

I will try to calm down my sarcasm and try to give you a logical reason why this film is worse than any other romantic comedy out there but to be perfectly honest, I can’t. The reason I can’t separate it out from the ever growing genre is that it’s a cookie cutter version of all the other ones. Will they or won’t they?

I do have to admit that the film’s script does have hints of brilliance and some interesting lines but with Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet uttering them I feel absolute pity for the screenwriter. It’s not like you are watching a brilliant script being delivered by the likes of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in “Before Sunrise” or Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally”.

I had a lot of problems with this film especially when it came to the adequate performances of the film’s leads. I liked some of the script but felt it needed help in some portions. I am still waiting for this year’s “Garden State”.

So Says the Soothsayer



Dean Kish

A bracingly original tone makes this film stand out from all those romantic comedy clones. It's strikingly well shot and acted, without resorting to sitcom silliness or hyperactive inanity. Then just when it should end on a sigh, it spirals into the same old stupidity.

Oliver (Kutcher) and Emily (Peet) meet on a Los Angeles-to-New York flight that produces an instant spark between them. A chance meeting in Manhattan (!) cements their bond, but the sweetly goofy Oliver has a strict five-year plan to make his fortune before finding a girl and settling down, while the coolly aloof Emily feels he's not quite right for her. Over the next seven years they'll meet again--and again--as their life paths refuse to take them where they expect to go.

The end isn't in doubt; it's a romantic comedy after all. But the humour is of the gentle, grounded variety rather than snappy-wacky movie style, so the film runs in recognisable rhythms of conversation and relationships. The cast and crew make this work beautifully--the writing, directing and acting all have a warm authenticity. Despite a reliance on coincidence, the plot is involving and full of superb sequences that are hilarious and/or yearningly passionate. Both Kutcher and Peet create intriguingly complex characters who are charming, funny and touching, with strong chemistry between them. And the supporting cast is excellent, adding nice texture to the story.

The idea is that we over-plan our lives, and as a result miss love when it appears. Which makes the film's farcical epilogue seem even more painfully tacked on, forcing the characters to leap to wrong conclusions and abandon their personalities for a few madcap scenes. It's the kind of contrived and false conclusion created by and for test audiences, and until it kicks in (there's a moment in an art gallery when it starts), this is one of the more original film romances out there--When Harry Met Sally for the 21st century. So it's even more of a pity that it takes such a corny, cheap route to the lovely final moment.

Rich Cline

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.

Jamie Kelwick

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