Forgotten Review: The Bounty Hunter

Continuing his streak of rom-coms, the director of Hitch and Fool’s Gold, Andy Tennant, brings together two of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors in The Bounty Hunter. Sticking to the traditional rules of a rom-com, the film sets out to not educate, but to simply entertain – and we have proof that they can also be original due to last year’s indie-hit (500) Days of Summer. Unfortunately, the latter seem to fall in the ‘Bleurgh’ category, walking the fine line of uninteresting, unconvincing drivel.

A bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) discovers his latest catch is no other than his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston), a feisty reporter who seems to have stumbled upon a murder cover-up. As they reunite, the constantly bickering duo find themselves continuously at odds with one another – until certain circumstances force them to run for their lives.

I’m known to be partial to most rom-coms. Whether it’s the script, the chemistry between the lead actors, or even the setting in which the film is set, I normally - normally being the operative word - find at least one thing I enjoy. The Bounty Hunter, however, is most certainly the exception. From the moment it began, the film became ‘faulty goods’. It’s depressingly unfunny, cliché-ridden - and downright overlong - script is to blame.

At no point of the film was I expecting it to be partially realistic; it’s why comedies are usually so successful. They’re allowed to be absurd, but that solely rests on whether the film is entertaining enough. The characters must be convincing, and the situations amusing – things which were non-existent in The Bounty Hunter. The premise wasn’t awful, the story of the exes coming together could have been brilliant, but it tried so hard to distract from the fact that the film is so painfully unfunny that is fails on almost every level.

What saddened me the most about the film was it’s clear disrespect of the actors. Without a doubt both Butler and Aniston were terrible, but that is down once again to the badly written script. Both characters are neither likable nor relatable, and sadly have zero chemistry. Aniston tries her hardest to come across as her usual fun-loving, charming-self, but even I wasn’t wooed enough to disregard her poor character choice. I won’t deny, at times, she was enthusiastic, but overall her entire presence was wasted. Butler – sporting a rather patchy American accent – seemed to rather enjoy his role. Stuffing Aniston in a car trunk, handcuffing her to a bed…I don’t blame him, really. Other than the obvious perks, he brought nothing original – or particularly memorable – to his character.

My one positive remark about the film is rather shallow; both Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler were both gorgeous.

Sadly, the film really took ‘formulaic’ to a whole new low. An undeniably poorly written, dull, contrived film, with two leads I actually feel sympathetic towards – which is upsetting as I do, usually, enjoy both actors. Equally as terrible as the photoshop on the film's poster. It should have been a big enough warning...

1/5

Unsurprisingly, i found this review stashed away in my folders. I figured i may as well post it!