nightlydvdreviewThe Bounty Hunter
April 4th 2010 02:36
Could The Bounty Hunter be the worst film this year? Yes it could.
At first glance, the bus poster for The Bounty Hunter might incline you to believe that it stands out from the overcrowded pool of rom-com mediocrity. For starters, it holds the promise of Jennifer Aniston alongside Gerard Butler. Even the title itself hints at something a touch more daring.
But when no laughter can be heard thirty minutes into its preview screening, and the unrequited urge to be amused festers among a disgruntled audience, you have to wonder what director Andy Tennant was thinking. We know that teaming Aniston with Butler was his idea. We also know that he thought this would equate to magical chemistry onscreen.
It doesn’t.
Butler (300, The Ugly Truth) plays struggling New York bounty hunter Milo, assigned the task of bringing in his sharp-tongued ex-wife reporter Nicole, acted with unendearing commitment by Aniston. Butler puts great effort into his beefy character, but falls short in crafting a male lead that is memorable in any respect. Had this film been made several decades ago, perhaps Robert De Niro might have played the macho Milo to greater effect. In a similar vein, Aniston’s performance does little more than invoke the humour of 1940s screwball comedies, and it’s a poor reimagining at that. Her ten-year stint on Friends demonstrated that she’s a very competent TV star – but not much more.
There’s a barely understandable murder subplot which should serve to drive the film forward, but instead complicates the already predictable reunion of the ex couple. To heighten the tediousness of it all, Christine Baranski (Mamma Mia!) plays the charmless alcoholic mother of Nicole.
The energy brought to the screen by Butler and Anniston is enough to keep audiences in their seats, but they don’t engage us. In many ways, the attributes of this film’s characters reflect accurately the movie at large: hard-working, charmless and witless.
1 STAR
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