Ugly Truth Is Pretty Bad

Aniston, Butler lack chemistry in action romance

(NEWSER) - Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston star as a bounty hunter and his wanted ex-wife in action romance Bounty Hunter. Critic's reactions range from "passable" to "somebody needs to hunt down the people who made this movie."

• An OK concept gets lost in "lame jokes and predictable situations," complains Calvin Wilson at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . "It's as if the filmmakers thought that just watching Butler and Aniston scream at each other almost two hours would be more than enough to satisfy the masses."

Formulaic script and direction make this comedy forgettable

(NEWSER) - Despite actress Katherine Heigl's undeniable appeal, her first role as a leading lady is in a film of such little consequence "that seeing it and skipping it are the exact same thing," writes Robert Wilonsky of the Village Voice. In 27 Dresses, Heigl plays Jane, a perennial bridesmaid who's got a major crush on her boss (Ed Burns), who, unfortunately, falls for Jane's blonde-bombshell sister (Malin Akerman). More»

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt star in truthful romantic comedy

(NEWSER) - The Five-Year Engagement clocks in at over two hours, which is a bit too long for many critics. But its honesty about relationships makes the Jason Segel-Emily Blunt rom-com stand out from the pack.

• "Because it's so willing to drill down into Tom and Violet's misery, The Five-Year Engagement involves a higher grim-to-grin ratio than its fluffier brethren," writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post . "But there's an unmistakable ring of truth to the couple's conflicts and mixed feelings."

Steve Carell, Julianne Moore star in winning romantic comedy

(NEWSER) - Critics largely enjoyed Crazy, Stupid, Love—and some have fallen head over heels for the romantic comedy with an all-star cast.

• In the Los Angeles Times , Betsy Sharkey gushes that the film “may well restore your faith in the very possibility of love, to say nothing of romantic comedies.” The “grand romantic gesture about grand romantic gestures conjures up the bittersweet magic of first loves, lasting loves, lost loves and all the loves in between.”
• "It’s the mild exception that makes, if not for a great movie, then at least for a pleasant surprise," writes Rick Groen in the Globe and Mail .

You know where it's going, but you probably don't care

(NEWSER) - Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis may not break any new ground in Friends With Benefits, but critics are largely giving the sex-filled rom-com the thumbs up:

• "The jokes don't all work and the topical references can be irritably hipper-than-thou," writes Andrea Gronvall of the Chicago Reader . "But at least director and cowriter Will Gluck (Easy A) aims high."