Movie Review: The Bounty Hunter

This movie works when it slows down.

Too bad it never does.

Every so often, a film comes along that defies all expectations. Star Wars and Avatar ruled the box office despite their sci fi themes. Slumdog Millionaire dominated the Academy Awards. Now, I must admit my expectations for The Bounty Hunter were rather weak. I was hoping only for some shimmer of originality, and that maybe the script would limit the number of romantic comedy or action clichés.

No dice, my friends. The Bounty Hunter goes above and beyond the call of duty to include everything we have seen in the way of genre clichés. The characters are caricatures, and the plot is absurd.

The film stars Gerard Butler as struggling bounty hunter Milo Boyd and Jennifer Aniston as his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly. Much to his delight, Milo learns that Nicole is his next target and begins his assignment with enthusiasm. He thinks all that's ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, they find themselves on the run for their lives.

And that is all there is to it. Naturally, there is the bit about whether or not they wind up getting back together. Oddly enough, though, this is the only part of the movie that had any redeeming value, despite its predictability. One reason would be the tremendous chemistry between Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston.

One scene that really worked for me was their time spent at Cupid’s Cabin, a type of romantic bed and breakfast. They share a nice candlelight dinner, eventually expressing their true feelings for one another and admitting to making mistakes. It was a very honest scene that was effective due to its writing and the work of the actors. Even their subsequent return to the honeymoon suite was an enjoyable and funny moment. Together, these two scenes combine to make the highlight of the film.

This film and its script work when things slow down. But that’s the problem: the film rarely does.

Instead, we are treated to all of the improbable and CGI-laden action, ridiculous car chase sequences, and plenty of shots of Nicole running around in her tight skirt and high heels. They even have the classic handcuffed-to-a-bed moment. But none of this amounts to anything. The action rarely leads to advancement of the story.

Most of the advancement of the plot and the resolution of the murder cover-up are accounted for by expository dialogue. This would be acceptable in a novel. But in a movie, why waste our time with the other unnecessary moments and clichés? Characters should drive plot, not the other way around.

I knew what I was getting into with this movie, so I promise I am not being unfair. I enjoy most romantic comedies, but this one was stale for the most part. The film’s advantage lies in the chemistry of its leads. And the only superlative this film has on the other films at this weekend’s box office would be “Most Attractive Couple.”

This film offered me little, and in turn I was able to invest nothing into it. I am not sure what movies owe us, if anything. But I always find myself asking, “What did this film bring to the table?” In short, The Bounty Hunter offers nothing we haven’t seen before.

P.S. I use the 4 star rating system, with a relative rating scale similar to that of Roger Ebert. If you are unfamiliar, consult his website or Wikipedia (g).

Oscar Night

So, last night was Oscar night.

Not a big deal. Well, at least for people named George C. Scott, who called it a "goddamn meat parade." (Look, he said it not me: just quoting.)

(tried to find an image here, but I was afraid to Google "meat parade")

Now, I had to look up this term "meat parade." When I did, it made so much sense. I'll spare you the trouble of research, as it goes something like this: Picture your local town throwing a giant parade. It's theme: meat. (I don't have to tell you what kind of can of worms this opens for anyone with a sick, twisted sense of humor.) Anywho, who cares about this parade? Only those who attend, which would be those who have an invested interest in meat.

So, Mr. Scott is saying that the Oscars are meaningless except to those who are in attendance/nominated/win. This might be true. I mean, I always struggle with the validity of award shows (especially one that allows Forrest Gump to triumph over The Shawshank Redemption.) It's subjective and political. But, the Oscars are the biggest celebration of movies during the year. And those are something I can get behind.

Plus, when I first started enjoying movies and building my DVD collection, I made it my objection to own all the Best Picture nominees. (I currently lack 13 of the 82, which means I am 84% done.) I've committed them all to memory and occasionally spring this useless knowledge when I meet people (in an attempt to either scare them or impress them, usually the former) or when I am bored.

Anyway, this isn't irrelevant resume material I'm illustrating: rather my fondness for the mystique, history, and tradition of the Oscars.

This year, I was asked to submit my predictions for a few competitions and publications. I did well last year, correctly guessing 18 of the 24 categories (for 75%). This year, I did the exact same. 18 for 24. 75%. Which is not as good this year as it was last year, given the field.

The first "thing" for which I had to submit my predictions was the Crimson White (UA newspaper). I decided that for the sake of continuity, I would just stick by these submissions and wouldn't make any last second changes for other contests.

I did make some last second changes to my CW predictions, though. Most notably, two that wound up biting me. I had El Secreto de Sus Ojos correctly picked as the winner for Foreign Language Film. However, I caved in and changed to The White Ribbon, which had won at numerous other award shows. Also, I had Logorama picked for Animated Short Film. It was the only film from that category I had seen. But I changed my pick because I thought that there would be no way that the only film I saw from that category would win. Wrong again.

For a complete list of my predictions, click here.

I will not delve into the rationale behind these decisions. (I mean, I will if I am asked about specific categories, but to go through and do so for all 24 categories is quite a laborious task.) Some are coin-flips, some are educated guesses, and some are so obvious that anyone could have guessed them.

Instead, I just want to give three quick shout-outs:

First up, Up.

I know people get tired of Pixar winning, but it was deserved this year. And yay for Michael Giacchino winning Best Original Score. One of my all-time favorite movie scores. It's one of the reasons why Up is so darn terrific. (Btw, he also scores LOST, so there's another reason I enjoy his work.)

So glad for Jeff Bridges.

This was not some lifetime achievement moment. No doubt he gave a performance worthy of Best Actor. Crazy Heart is one of those films that I feel is one of the best of the year, yet no one has seen it. Do yourself a favor and see it ASAP.

P.S. Best Original Song winner "The Weary Kind" is an outstanding song.

Finally, Christoph Waltz.

What a masterful performance. Inglourious Basterds receives criticism for being "too talky." Now, I feel that criticism is unjustified. I could devote an entire post to why I believe that to be the case. Regardless, even if I grant that point, no one can doubt whether Christoph Waltz excelled in his role. He had some of the trickiest dialogue in the film, yet he delivered it masterfully.

There are some other things I would like to acknowledge, but I do not have the time. I could go on for days regarding different aspects of the Oscars. I'm certain I've failed to address certain topics or subjects that are of interest to you (other categories, the ceremony itself, the people, the fashion, etc.). If that is the case, or if you just want me to expand upon anything that was mentioned, let me know and I'd love to talk about it.

Feel free to discuss...

P.S. I apologize again for this terribly incomplete post. There is no way I can condense a few weeks worth of dialogue into one post.

P.P.S. I believe I fixed the comments setting, making it much easier to leave comments.