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A Lot Like Love

You get the feeling Ashton Kutcher is a busy man trying to cash in on his fame before Demi dumps him and he starts to lose his hair. In between That 70's Show, Guess Who, and Punk'd, he also found time to make A Lot Like Love. Sadly, it doesn't appear he had time to read the script, or he might have backed away slowly from the table, or figured he was being Punk'd by Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis.

Kutcher stars as Oliver Martin - a young Internet entrepreneur with big plans. On a flight to New York to visit his brother, he meets Emily (Amanda Peet) - a free spirit photographer. The two join the mile high club, enjoy a few days in NYC, but end up separating since he has to go back to California. When she doubts him, Oliver challenges Emily to call him in seven years to prove he has achieved all of his goals, including marriage.

Over the course of the next 7 years, they periodically run into each other, but will they fall in love? Are they meant to be together?

I am the kind of guy who gets a date once every ice age, and even I could be more romantic than these people! A Lot Like Love lacks love, and romance, and all of those sweet things that make a romantic comedy warm your heart. Attempting to be a modern day When Harry Met Sally or Before Sunrise, A Lot Like Love lacks the depth and heart of those more superior movies. Most of this comes from the story, where writer Colin Patrick Lynch puts the two in a series of situations that are nor believable, lack the charm needed to make us fall in love with these two lovebirds, and usually end up being nothing more than one night booty calls.

Lynch's dialogue lacks spark, and forces the audience to fill in the blanks by inserting our own feelings into the movie, since the dialogue doesn't draw them out. He, along with director Nigel Cole, seems to be relying on us to recognize lines and scenes to be important and romantic, instead of making them so. If it wasn't for Peet and Kutcher, the whole movie would be a loss.

Cole and Lynch are lucky Kutcher and Peet are so likable. Without dialogue and scenes befitting their abilities, the two leads draw on their own personal charms to keep us interested. Kutcher even shines in the movie's closing, more poignant 20 minutes as his character faces immense challenges and results (there might be hope yet for Kelso as a dramatic actor, I think I saw depth, REAL DEPTH!), but he and Peet can't overcome a weak script that lacks drama.

Finally, I was taken aback by Cole's sloppy and quiet filmmaking. The movie is supposed to take place over the course of 7 years, but which 7? The opening scene seems to be torn from the grunge era of 1992 - 1996, the middle portion somewhere around the Dot Com boom of 1998 - 2000, and the final portion in modern day 2003-2005, but that's 13 years, not 7.  Some clarity on a small issue like that would help.  Also, A Lot Like Love is a remarkably quiet movie. Cole needs some music to help build tension and romantic feelings in the right places, especially since the dialogue doesn't accomplish those goals.

A Lot Like Love is a lot like something, but not romance and love.

1 Waffles (Out Of 4)

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