British director Nigel Cole's latest, after the much better Saving Grace and Calendar Girls, promises a unique twist on the romantic comedy genre, but it provides no such thing.
The stars are Ashton Kutcher - said to be a rising talent, but with all the acting ability of a duller Keanu Reeves - and Amanda Peet, whose range is surely wider than we see here. These two are would-be lovers whose story covers seven years, after which time, their on-off cavortings seem decidedly recidivist. People who behave like this when nearing 30 are in some trouble.
The pair meet and mate, presumably sexually, in the lavatory of a plane. But as members of the Mile High Club, they don't rate all that highly. They part and reunite a dozen times in various cities. Each tries to get married to someone else before finally deciding that what started in the loos will end in the comparative bliss of the marital bed.
It is a very sticky process, largely because the pairing has no real feeling and precious little charm. Love is rarely straightforward in today's chaotic world, seems to be the film's chief moral. Maybe so, but it doesn't have to be so lacking in wit or as boring as this.
A Lot Like Love
Cert: cert12A
