Alot Like Love feels a lot like a day at a craps table in Vegas; it’s both foolishly exciting and arbitrary but the possibility of “what if” lurking like a stalking butler is enough to keep that trophy girl blowing on your knuckles till you’ve bet the kids college fund.
It isn’t the always wonderful Amanda Peet that keeps you watching, nor is it the surprisingly stiff Ashton Kutcher that will make you ball your fists in annoyance that makes or breaks the movie—it’s how much damn fun they’re having onscreen that moves you to either love or hate the film. Amanda Peet shows once again why she one of Hollywood’s most underrated actresses as she plays Emily Friehl, a jaded, spontaneous grunge girl sporting fishnets, who changes her hair color and profession more times than I thought possible within a one-hundred and seven minute time limit. Kismet brings her into the line of sight of photographer auteur Oliver Martin (Kutcher), and during a flight to New York the two become official members of the mile high club, only to part ways shortly thereafter and coincidentally find each other once again.
Oliver isn't necessarily the catch of the week—think wiry and awkward, with a mop for a hairpiece—but despite their differences he and Emily still share those laughable yet gawky moments of courtship. Oliver bets Emily fifty dollars that in seven years he'll have it all—the house, the car and the girl, and gives her his parents phone number, telling Emily to look him up. In the coming months and subsequent years they meet via random encounters, sometimes hooking up but ultimately hiding their true feelings for one another behind short-lived relationships with other people. Emily turns from jaded rocker groupie to actress, and then to local photographer, while Oliver cleans up quite nicely, shedding his long, stringy golden locks and passion for pictures and trading it in for a close-cropped cut and a .com diaper business.
Showing both balls and talent in the torrid time traveling flick The Butterfly Effect, it surprised me that Kutcher was so rigid and uninspiring; on several occasions he sports the helplessly befuddled blank look that made his character Kelso on That 70’s Show a household name. It’s a device best left for television, as his shtick not only wears thin but also makes you wonder what the hell Emily really sees in him. Riding high on the opposite end of the spectrum is Peet’s unexpected breadth and growth throughout, turning our bitchy lead into the girl every boy wants to bring home to mama.
