DVD Review #29 Love Happens

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Love Happens (2009) Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart Directed By Brandon Camp

I actually really like both these actors so I will admit that I tried to like this movie a bit more than the average viewer. As it turns out this film was very average, and I may not recommend it if not for the cast that I thought handled the material as best they could turning a very mediocre script into something that was tolerable and in a way touching.

Love Happens is the story of Burke (played well by Aaron Eckhart) a widower who has written a book about coping with the loss of loved ones. His book has helped thousands of people through their mourning…he now is doing seminars and may even be offered a TV show among other things…there is one problem…he has yet to really deal with the loss of his wife, and in essence has lied to himself as a way of coping. To be fair I really like this idea and I know in storyboard and maybe even in early drafts this script had great promise, but it stalls out, and sells out a touch too much for my taste (I could have wrote this better is what I’m saying LOL). So in a trip back to the city where his wife died, he is conducting a seminar when he meets Eloise (played as well as you could by Jennifer Aniston) and the sparks fly. Her character needs to be better and I would bet anything if it wasn’t for Aniston’s ability to be charming, this character wouldn’t be likable at all. Some bit players have some impact like the nice performance by John Carroll Lynch (whose so great in the film Zodiac) who plays a father who has lost a son recently and a mostly wasted Martin Sheen (god I miss The West Wing) who plays the father of Burke’s deceased wife, a nice Judy Greer and a serviceable Dan Fogler also contribute. All in all it is a predictable, shaky film that is carried by its stars…but since I like the stars and respect the idea of the story I will recommend this one, but I expect people to chime in and tell me I may have been wrong.

(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) Ok so two of my current favorites (Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart) meet up in a romance (which I am usually a sucker for) in a city I have always wanted to visit (Seattle), and are dealing with themes in the story I can respect…There was a lot I would’ve done differently here but as is, it is still a very watchable film and a borderline 6.0 on the Shawshank Scale.

Food For Thought: How about giving a hand to the new Trisket flavors…I love cracked pepper and roasted tomatoe & olive oil isn’t bad either…toss some sharp cheddar and a black olive on top and you got yourself a first class snack. Aniston shows up in 2010 with The Bounty Hunter that co-stars Gerard Butler and looks bad…but also a film called The Baster with Jason Bateman about a woman using um a turkey baster to get pregnant…so there you have it. Eckhart has The Rum Diary with Johnny Depp and a film called Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman about a family who loses their son.