Has Ashton Kutcher punk’d himself with A Lot Like Love?
He’s about to walk away from That ‘70s Show with a film career that’s hotter than girlfriend Demi Moore in that teeny-weeny Charlie’s Angels bikini. Guess Who will soon surpass The Butterfly Effect and Just Married as Kutcher‘s biggest hit, if you exclude his unbilled cameo in Cheaper by the Dozen.
Unfortunately Kutcher‘s about to lose momentum with A Lot Like Love.
Like Just Married and My Boss’s Daughter, A Lot Like Love is a romantic comedy without the romance. Kutcher and potential soul mate Amanda Peet spend more time apart than they do getting all lovey-dovey. Not that it matters: sparks hardly fly between these unlikely lovebirds–who fall for each other during brief encounters over the course of seven years–when they’re together.
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Kutcher at the Box Office | |
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| 1. The Butterfly Effect $57.9M | |||
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| 2. Just Married $56.1M | |||
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| 3. Guess Who $51M* | |||
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| 4. Dude, Where’s My Car $46.7M | |||
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| 5. My Boss’s Daughter $15.5M | |||
| *As of April 10, 2005 | |||
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A Lot Like Love feels like a halfhearted attempt by a major studio—Disney, in this case–to establish a relationship with a rising star once in the running for Superman. Only A Lot Like Love is too inconsequential and innocuous for the likes of Kutcher, so his presence in A Lot Like Love remains an enigma.
Perhaps Kutcher fooled himself into thinking he could carry A Lot Like Love with his wit and charisma.
Problem is Kutcher has none, unlike many other sitcom stars who made the transition from the small screen to the big screen. He doesn’t possess Will Smith’s charm, Robin William’s manic energy or Tom Hanks‘ humanity. If A Lot Like Love proves anything, it’s that Kutcher cannot infuse an underwritten role–such as bland Internet entrepreneur Oliver Martin–with any personality.
Kutcher‘s punk’d us for years. He’s convinced us that he’s more than just a pretty face, that he merely plays a himbo on TV. But even with his film choices, he gravitates toward smirking, clueless knuckleheads who pent up their anger until they succumb to elliptic fit-like outbursts of rage and frustration.
And Kutcher‘s performances thus far don’t hold much promise that he has the depth to tackle a weighty comic role à la Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. And Laurence Olivier he’s not, at least judging by his dramatic turns in The Butterfly Effect or Texas Rangers.
In his defense, Kutcher‘s yet to collaborate with a director who can bring out the best in him, assuming we’ve not already seen the best he can give. He’s had his opportunities. He almost starred in M. Night Shyamalan‘s The Village, and his headline-grabbing relationship with Moore reportedly cost him a role in a Steven Soderbergh production. He came this close to working with one of Hollywood’s finest directors, Jerry Maguire‘s Cameron Crowe, but that ended in disaster.
Officially, Kutcher dropped out of Crowe’s upcoming comedy Elizabethtown due to shooting conflicts. But word quickly spread that Crowe and Kutcher agreed to part ways after Kutcher failed to impress Crowe with his acting during rehearsals. Crowe then entrusted the role to Orlando Bloom.
And what does Kutcher have to show for himself? Oh, yes, A Lot Like Love.
Not that A Lot Like Love will hurt Kutcher. His disastrous date with My Boss’s Daughter certainly didn’t: he bounced back with The Butterfly Effect and Guess Who. A Lot Like Love will no doubt capitalize on the continued success of Guess Who, at least during its opening weekend, and then quickly fade from memory.
As for life after That ‘70s Show, maybe Kutcher will make smarter choices when it comes to comedy. It’s doubtful Woody Allen’s going to call, but Kutcher should have enough clout to get his hands on the best comedy scripts making the rounds. And maybe he won’t walk away from another possible franchise like this summer’s The Dukes of Hazzard. At least he’s not inflicted Seriously Dude, Where’s My Car? upon us–yet.
He’s not got anything in production other than next year’s Open Season, a CGI romp in which he voices Elliot the Mule Deer. Doesn’t sound like much of a stretch, even for Kutcher, but it’s a start.
The Bottom Line
Did Kutcher (thankfully) walked away from Superman–after refusing to commit to any sequels–so he can lend his talents to undemanding fluff like A Lot Like Love? Bad move. Better to fight twice and thrice for truth, justice and the American way than to waste time and effort on the pointless pursuit of Peet. If this is how Kutcher plans to woo audiences after leaving That ‘70s Show, he won’t feel a whole lotta love for much longer.
