NOW PLAYING
By Lisa Miller 03/18/2010
THE BOUNTY HUNTER
Directed by Andy Tennant and starring Gerard Butler, Jennifer Aniston, Christine Baranski, Jason Sudeikis, and Cathy Moriarty
Aniston and Butler each take another stab at the romantic comedy genre but, predictably, both their pairing and the movie come up short on romance and laughs. Aniston appears as Nicole, an investigative reporter whose unpaid parking tickets and failure to appear in court get her case assigned to Milo (Butler), a motivated bounty hunter who also happens to be Nicole’s ex-husband. The film attempts to make sexy fun from Milo handcuffing Nicole to the bed, but these scenes only make you miss the wittier episodes of “Friends.” Soon Nicole gives Milo the slip, but she’s glad he finds her because Nicole’s murder investigation has landed her on the killer’s hit list. The pair’s nonstop bickering is meant to indicate the extent of their love connection, but their silly issues seem lifted from an episode of “Judge Judy.”
(2 stars out of 4)
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
Directed by Thor Freudenthal and starring Zachary Gordon, Steve Zahn, Devon Bostick and Chloe Grace Moretz Seventh-grader Greg Heffle (Gordon, third from right) chronicles his wisecracking adventures in middle school. Having yet to hit his growth spurt, young Greg is subjected to wedgies and swirlies from morons and bullies who also force him to lie on the cafeteria floor next to a festering piece of cheese. In an effort to survive his never-ending ordeal, Greg devises a series of schemes, all of which go awry. Rated PG, here’s one movie (based on Jeff Kinney’s Web-comic from 2004) tweens can actually see, though parents should know — it’s brutal.
(3 stars out of 4)
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT