The Bounty Hunter
Andy Tennant
Columbia Pictures
2.5 Stars
Running around New York City and Atlantic City trying to catch and lock up your ex-wife would be a perfect date.
At least it would be for any ex-cop-turned-bounty-hunter on the way to making himself big in the fierce business.
That’s just how Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler) sees the situation when on the mission to arrest his estranged reporter wife Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). Skipping her court hearing on a charge she intends to forget, Hurly is fascinated with a suicide story and police cover up that she cannot let go and have anyone else cover. To make matters worse, the ex-couple’s close friend is supposedly involved in the crime and to Boyd’s surprise he is given the job to bring Hurley to jail and receive $5,000 in return which obviously makes the man more than merrier.
Most of the film is filled with the love/hate relationship the couple implies with Hurley constantly escaping and Boyd following closely behind ready to catch her.
Aniston and Butler do play their parts quite well with laughable lines here and there but could have taken it a step further.
The Bounty Hunter wasn’t boring but the plot took a few left turns that were confusing to follow at times. With the two characters either bickering or trying to resolve their past situations, they end up running for their lives from an ex-cop gang who know that these two are trying to figure out the suicide case the group was involved in.
This is where the movie takes a more action-packed feel and tries to engage the audience. Director Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch, Fool’s Gold) has had experience in making such romantic comedies, but this time he did not truly succeed and made the plot just too long to follow.
Actors Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live) and Christine Baranski (Mama Mia, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) also add humour since Stewart (Sudeikis) follows Hurley in her quest as he tries to woo her every chance he gets. Kitty Hurley (Baranski), a booze-loving Atlantic City lounge singer, tries to give her daughter the advice and wisdom needed to make her life less of a living hell
It would be wrong to say that The Bounty Hunter didn’t make the crowd laugh and stay on their toes; however, it was clear that there needed to be some serious editing to completely make the film more of a catch.
It’s a shame that two enthusiastic and attractive lead actors were cast to play in a film that had the potential to do well but failed all together. The Bounty Hunter was a mediocre film that was quite cute for the most part.