LOVE HAPPENS - Sometimes Sh*t Happens Too

LOVE HAPPENS (drama)
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Anne Marie DeLuise, Martin Sheen, Sasha Alexander, Dan Fogler and Judy Greer
Director: Brandon Camp
Time: 109 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

MEETING CUTE: Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston in LOVE HAPPENS

PREAMBLE: Just as shit happens, love also happens. But not in this movie. Whether we least expect it or not.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Aaron Eckhart is Burke Ryan, a self-help guru who has just written a book on A-OK! A Path Through Grief about his own loss of his wife. Burke is about to sign a major multimedia deal, but the author who asks his followers to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice.

Jennifer Aniston is Eloise Chandler, a conveniently single woman living her dream running her own flower shop - and doing quirky stuff like writing random words on the walls behind paintings. Of course they meet cute, bumping into each other, communicating in sign language and having the first date dinner. Here, the keyword is cute, given Aniston's stereotype roles. Cute, however, does not make love happen.

HITS & MISSES: The script by Mike Thompson and director Brandon Camp is tepid. Nothing much happens in the way of romance or comedy, although this one is billed as a drama. Aniston's role is badly written and she comes through as bland. Eckhart is so devoid of his usual charm that we wonder how he gets to be a self-help guru in the first place.

The most touching part of the movie comes from John Carroll Lynch in a supporting role as Walter, a guy coping with the loss of his son. Judy Greer (as Eloise's best friend) and Martin Sheen (as Burke's father-in-law) also lend valuable support but they are underused.

THE LOWDOWN: Ya, sometimes shit happens in a movie.