A Lot Like Love

Ashton Kutcher continues a very good year so far for him with the Nigel Cole directed A Lot Like Love, a very likeable romantic comedy costarring Amanda Peet. The movie is really sweet, and it's more of a romance than a comedy, though sometimes we get some stupid moments but they come out very real.

The movie starts with young Oliver (Kutcher), just graduated from college a year ago, getting to the airport when a very goth looking Emily (Peet) also arrives with her rocker boyfriend. They break up in front of him, and soon these two strangers are making eye contact while waiting for their plane. Oh coincidence that they board the same plane, and when Oliver goes to the bathroom Emily rushes right after him to get him into the mile high club. Ah, the dream.
From there on the movie kind of like goes into When Harry Met Sally territory as they start a very cute friendship and love affair, but Oliver is a man with a plan, and will be ready with his life in 6 years, so nothing can happen now. So they go separate ways and continue to meet every couple of years when one needs the other, only to find out that the other is in a relationship, just out of it but not ready for a new one or too busy with their career (Oliver is in the internet business, while Emily is a photographer, thanks to Oliver btw).
You can guess the ending by now, but it doesn't matter because what romantic comedy doesn't ending with the leads together?

So Kutcher is very good as Oliver, and if you erase 2003's My Boss's Daughter and Just Married from our memories, he's actually lead very good movies in his career, after he starred in the awesome Dude, Where's My Car?. Amanda Peet is also very good, though I didn't buy her being in her early 20s at the beginning of the movie, just like I didn't buy Kutcher being 30 at the end of the movie, he looks too young even though he grew a beard.
The supporting characters are funny, but add very little to the story but it's not a problem because Ashton and Amanda do a perfect job in these performances, specially when they are together on screen.

So the movie works, and it works very well. It's sweet, funny and cute, and the characters are very likeable all the time. Also, Kutcher and Peet have a great chemistry and it shows. Of course, don't expect them to win an Academy Award (though he may have a chance at the MTV Movie Awards), but do expect to be entertained by them.