Image Courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director:
Nigel Cole
Cast:
Amanda Peet……….Emily Friehl
Ashton Kutcher……….Oliver Martin
Taryn Manning……….Ellen Martin
Aimee Garcia……….Nicole
Lee Garlington……….Stewardess
Birdie M. Hale……….Old Woman
The Movie
Ashton Kutcher has had a lot of hits since he came into stardom, but 2005 would have a rare misfire at the box office with A Lot Like Love. Kutcher’s second romantic comedy of 2005 crashed and burned at the box office following his successful stint with Bernie Mac in Guess Who. Which is a shame, really, because A Lot Like Love is a good, if quirky, comedy that is the stronger movie of the two and features some of Kutcher’s best work to date.
A Lot Like Love follows the story of two people in love over a series of years, Emily (Amanda Peet) and Oliver (Kutcher). What makes them special is that neither of them knows it just yet, as over the years a chance encounter aboard an airplane leads to a complex relationship that builds over the years. From their initial encounter (they become members of the “Mile High Club”) to the beginnings of their friendship in New York City, Emily and Oliver have a series of encounters over the years that turn their relationship from friendly to more than that until guy moves across the country for work. This isn’t the end of what they have; it’s only the first twist in a series of them as gal and guy figure out what we know about them in the beginning: they are in love, the sort of love that could last a lifetime. And in a movie filled with plot contrivances and twists it would normally fall apart if not for the strong chemistry between its two main stars.
Kutcher and Peet have a chemistry that is natural and genuine. Both are usually the stronger halves of interchangeable pairings in romantic comedies, but they bring the best out of each other. It’s a goofy movie but Kutcher and Peel have such a strong connection that the plot contrivances that keep them together (and yet apart) actually work well. Despite everything going on, Emily and Oliver are in love with each other in a way neither really understands and the pair has a chemistry that is hard to duplicate. Kutcher and Peet have a real understanding of their characters through each other; the growth each character has from that fateful encounter in the bathroom of a 747 to the people they turn into is fascinating. Both are young kids when they meet and over the years they grow up around each other and have to continue to adjust to one another. The characters are developed strongly and evolve over time, and aren’t more than what Kutcher and Peet are required to deliver.
The plot does have a lot of contrivances and devices that are lifted from other staples of the genre but at the same time it uses them more effectively than most. Nigel Cole does a wonderful job in letting Kutcher and Peet take the regular scenes of the romantic comedy and give them a certain goofiness that is charming and intriguing.
Featuring one of the better soundtracks of the year, A Lot Like Love is a unique romantic comedy that has a lot of unexpected depth and a pair of charming performances from some unlikely performers.
Score : 8 / 10
The Video
A very superb transfer as A Lot Like Love is a good-looking film on the small screen. The color distinctions are there and there is certain lucidity to the picture. It captures the city of New York and Los Angeles vivaciously, and Emily and Oliver’s misadventures in romance look good.
Score : 8.5 / 10
The Audio
Coming through loud and clear in Dolby Digital 5.1, the film’s soundtrack and ambience are just as solid as the video. The little things are also picked up well, as thing like background noise doesn’t overwhelm the dialogue. In a movie that has to balance an offbeat, quirky soundtrack with a dialogue driven story it’s a great balance of music and voice.
Score : 9 / 10
Special Features:Never-before-seen deleted scenes, Blooper reel, Audio commentary from the director and producer, Music video from Aqualung.
Never-before-seen deleted scenes. A collection of deleted scenes removed from the movie for good reason as they really don’t do much for the story itself.
Blooper reel. A couple of minutes worth of bloopers from the movie set to a snappy jazz soundtrack. It’s not as funny as Peet and Kutcher feel it is, but it is amusing in an odd way.
Music video from Aqualung. Aqualung’s video for “Brighter than Sunshine” from the soundtrack to A Lot Like Love as well as their album “Strange and Beautiful” from Columbia Records. Set to scenes from the movie in chronological order, it is a decent music video. It sounds great and the video is superb though.
Audio commentary from the director and producer.
Previews. Sneak peaks for the theatrical trailer for Flightplan, the DVD release of Herbie: Fully Loaded, the DVD release of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and thea theatrical trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia as well as the DVD releases for the special edition of Chicago and Dark Water.
Score : 5 / 10
