Film: “The Bounty Hunter”; Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Gio Perez, Joel Garland, Jason Kolotouros; Director: Andy Tennant; Rating: *
The basic premise for this comedy is decent. There’s not a man in the world that would not die for a chance to wreak vengeance on an ‘ex’ he hates. Sadly director Andy Tennant, who gave us the charming romantic comedy “Hitch”, wastes his chances at both comedy and action with outdated and worn out clichés.
Ex-cop Milo’s (Gerard Butler) job as a bounty hunter, man who catches those that have broken parole, is a tough and risky one. Yet he jumps with joy at getting the chance to arrest his ex-wife Nicole (Jennifer Aniston) and bring her to jail.
A reporter, Nicole is investigating the suicide of a cop with help from a source at a bar. When her source disappears, she is worried and tries to track him down, only for her ex-husband to track her down and arrest her.
The rest of the film is about how the two try to outsmart each other. Considering that the two were married, they know each others weaknesses, but not much of their strengths. So, when Nicole fakes her tears, Milo knows it. When no amount of cajoling or attempts to escape work for Nicole, she uses Milo’s addiction to gambling to her advantage.
On the way of being shot at, posing as senators and a honeymooning couple, riding a cycle rickshaw through Las Vegas and dodging balls at a golf course, the two rediscover the love they had for each other.
They work together as a team to uncover the truth behind the man hunting them down, the disappeared source and the cop-suicide.
The main problem with the film is that of an identity crisis. It is definitely not a comedy as even the mandatory giggles do not come to you. Without any of the spectacular action sequences Hollywood is famous for, it isn’t an action film either.
It is not even a crime thriller as the suspense is not enough to pull you to the edge of your seat. And this confusion transmutes to the viewers.
The chemistry between Butler and Aniston is nothing to write about. The direction isn’t sharp either.
However, where the film falters the most is in the writing. Situations that could have been hilarious, fizzle out because of bad writing and characterisation. The transition from TV to the big screen for writer Sarah Thorp has definitely not worked.
The plot – the war of the sexes – is an old cliché. The setting need not have been so. In the end, “The Bounty Hunter” ends up being nothing but an ensemble of done to death clichés.
The lead pair of Butler and Aniston, with their fan following, will get enough crowds to the theatre despite their inability to act. But it is definitely worth giving a miss, unless you absolutely, desperately are bent upon wasting your time and money.
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