Bounty Hunter – Review

He’s a hunk with a Scottish accent. She’s a perky sweetheart, with the best blonde hair in the business. Together, Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston should have set the screen on fire. Unfortunately, their joint outing in Bounty Hunter is the proverbial damp squib.

In this action-comedy, Aniston plays Nicole, a gung-ho reporter bent on tracking down a murder story. In her enthusiasm, she skips a court appointment where she intended to defend herself against a traffic offence. That folly earns her a warrant. Guess who’s the bail enforcer who gets to haul her into court? None other than her ex-husband (and ex-cop) Milo, played by Butler. And you thought that old theme of remarriage had been safely buried a while ago!

The action part of the film kicks in as the story, and the warring exes, move from New York to Atlantic City in a series of capers. The no-gooders involved in the murder join the fun; so does Nicole’s infatuated suitor from her office, all of which affords opportunities for riveting car chases and bullets whizzing around freeways.

Butler plays the charming scoundrel, a role he’s done before in The Ugly Truth and P.S. I Love You. Nothing to write home about there (a glimpse of his six-pack should keep diehard female fans happy). Aniston, in impossibly tiny garments, plays with her hair so often that you could mistake this for a shampoo endorsement. That’s when she isn’t puckering and frowning adorably (hello, how about some acting, please?).  Whatever the truth about these two cosying up offscreen during the making of the film, their chemistry remains firmly hidden from view onscreen. Unfortunately, that pretty much dooms Bounty Hunter, with its thoroughly predictable screenplay and lame attempts at humour. Christine Baranski who plays Aniston’s martini swilling, casino surfing mom is by far the most watchable person on screen. Watch the DVD only if you’re a loyal fan.