The Bounty Hunter/Valentine's Day

146. The Bounty Hunter
147. Valentine's Day

The Bounty Hunter tells the story of a divorced couple whose paths cross when the husband learns that his ex-wife has a warrant out for her.

Gerard Butler is Milo Boyd, former police officer turned titular bounty hunter. He's just wrapping up a case when he discovers that his ex-wife, journalist Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston) has an arrest warrant out due to a missed court date. Figuring that it's easy money, he takes the case. Little does he know, Nicole has missed the court date due to a story she's working on. A story involving a suicide that might not actually be a suicide. As it turns out, there are a few people out there who would like to see Nicole out of the picture.

This movie is not exactly high art. Let's get that clear, right from the start. The story is extremely predictable so don't expect any surprises. However, it is a pretty pleasant time-waster. Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston work pretty well together. Butler is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. Since 300, he's had a nice stretch of movies similar to this. They're not perfect but they're quite enjoyable. He has a solid screen presence with lots of charisma. Aniston always turns in a good performance and this is right in line with that. Support comes from Christine Baranski, Jason Sudeikis, Jeff Garlin, and Peter Greene.

An amusing bit of trivia on this one regards director Andy Tennant. He's directed such films as Hitch and Fool's Gold. However, to me, he'll always be known as "Dancer" from the Grease movies. During the late 70s and early 80s, Tennant was a background dancer in both Grease movies. He also had a role in Midnight Madness, one of my favorite movies as a kid. Everytime I watch these movies, it amuses me to think that he's directing now.

Overall, The Bounty Hunter is an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes. I recommend it.


Valentine's Day is the latest from director Garry Marshall.

This movie has one of the largest ensemble casts out there. The odds are pretty good that if you're a fan of someone, they make an appearance here. In fact, I was offered a role but turned it down because I didn't want to share the screen with everyone else. A talent like mine deserves the whole spotlight.

Valentine's Day shows how the titular holiday plays out for numerous folks in and around Los Angeles. From the flower shop owner who has just proposed to his girlfriend to the little boy desperately trying to get some flowers to his sweetheart. All stories essentially intertwine in some way. If you've got a short attention span, this movie's not for you because you might not remember everyone. I actually found myself a bit confused from time to time as to who everyone was.

The story here is nothing spectacular. It's your a lot of your typical romantic comedy stuff. There are a couple of small twists thrown in here and there though. The cast is really what elevates this one above and beyond what it could have been. Jamie Foxx, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway...all are solid. I could go on for days just rambling off names but I'll wrap it up here.

All in all, Valentine's Day is a pretty good movie for its genre. It's the type of movie that I can see becoming a bit of a holiday staple. I recommend it.