A romantic comedy that feels just right

A Lot Like Love; 1:47; PG-13, for sexual content, nudity and language; Grade: B

The biggest problem with most romantic comedies is that there’s usually very little romance and even less humor. Starring Ashton Kutcher (Guess Who, Dude Where’s My Car?) and Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards, Something’s Gotta Give), A Lot Like Love dodges the pitfalls of the genre. Light and fun, A Lot Like Love may be a tad predictable and sappy, but makes up for this with plenty of laughs and a romance that actually feels right.

Kutcher is Oliver, a recent college graduate dork, with plans to make a big career on the Internet. Peet is Emily, a punky artistic type who looks like she listens to a lot of Nirvana. The two meet on an airplane, as Emily makes Oliver a proud member of the Mile High Club. She intended to leave their relationship at that, but Oliver is love struck, and insists on getting to know her. Needing an excuse to get out of a day at the museum with her parents, Emily spends a day with Oliver in NY.

Over the next seven years, they see each other sporadically, and as they mature and change, so too does their relationship with one another, until it reaches the point where they simply cannot live without each other.

Director Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls, Saving Grace) has a knack for creating real intimacy on the screen. The real strength of A Lot Like Love is that the pair feels very much like a couple in love, making it easy for the audience to buy into their romance. From playful flirting to close and tender moments, Cole quickly and effectively draws us into his whimsy.

An equal amount of praise is due the actors, both of whom do a good job with the material. Peet is irresistibly charming, and really carries the film. Her character demands more range and depth than Kutcher’s, and she is more than up to the task.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the film is Kutcher. There seem to be two Ashton Kutchers. The Ashton Kutcher that we usually see is annoying, loud, and a horrible over-acter. The bad Kutcher can be seen on MTV’s Punk’d, or in Guess Who. The other Kutcher, surprisingly enough, is actually capable of delivering a more subtle and believable performance. We haven’t seen the good Kutcher since The Butterfly Effect, and thankfully this is the one we get in A Lot Like Love.

To be honest, though, these are not the most demanding roles for Kutcher and Peet. A Lot Like Love never delves into any deep emotional territory, instead keeping things light and forever on the surface. While this could be seen as a weakness, it can also be seen as a strength. A Lot Like Love doesn’t ask the audience to do any soul searching, it only asks that you sit back and have a little fun, and sometimes that’s just what we need.

With such a breezy quality, the humorous moments in A Lot Like Love fit right in. What I especially appreciate about the humor is that much of it comes from the familiarity of the characters—a coy smile here, an awkward pause there, and we find ourselves laughing at people who maybe remind us of ourselves.

The climactic finale in A Lot Like Love doesn’t live up to the potential of the previous 90 minutes, but it shouldn’t ruin what is otherwise a very enjoyable movie. Needless to say, it’s intended as a date movie, but is good enough to warrant a trip to the multiplex, date or not.