The Bounty Hunter (2010)
Directed by: Andy Tennant
Premise: A bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) is contracted to bring in his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) after she jumps bail. After apprehending her, the couple find themselves the target of organized crime and their relationship gets a second chance.
What Works: Actors Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston work well as an onscreen couple. Butler’s swagger and Aniston’s deadpan delivery compliment each other and their banter has a sense of authenticity that sells the relationship.
What Doesn’t: The Bounty Hunter is part romantic comedy and part murder mystery and the two elements do not coalesce very well. The romance is predictable and as the characters reconcile their relationship the film loses the charge that their animosity gives to the first half of the picture. The mystery is messy; its leads do not push the story toward a conclusion, and it makes gross shifts in tone from serious drama to camp. The subplot between Aniston’s character and an obnoxious coworker that really does not work and only makes the film longer.
Bottom Line: The Bounty Hunter will have appeal for those who like to watch Jennifer Aniston or Gerard Butler regardless of what they are in. But for anyone else the film is completely forgettable.
Episode: #282 (March 28, 2010)