‘Hunter’ won’t capture you (2/5)

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Dorian Missick.
Directed by: Andy Tennant.
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content including suggestive comments, language and some violence.
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

“The Bounty Hunter” is fun but forgettable.

Jennifer Aniston stars as Nicole Hurley, a reporter on the verge of unearthing the secret behind a “suicide.”

Hurley is a woman of work-work-work. She even skips out on her bail hearing to meet up with a source that has some information regarding the suicide.

But when her source gets kidnapped and the judge issues a warrant for Hurley’s arrest, in steps Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), ex-cop-turned-bounty-hunter and, oh yeah, Hurley’s ex-husband. His next assignment? Who else but (to his obvious glee) Nicole.

It’s a very fun concept that lends itself to some awkward and funny situations (the various methods Boyd uses to “arrest” Nicole and her escape attempts; a night spent at their former honeymoon bed and breakfast). But, for its “fun,” there isn’t much to say about it. It’s a pretty cookie-cutter film that you may not even remember the next day. And if you do remember it, it may be only the bad things that stand out.

One scene that did stand out was the opening sequence, but not in a positive manner. In a chase scene focusing on Boyd hunting down a stilt-walking Uncle Sam in a Fourth of July parade, someone made the poor decision to stick in Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning,” which was totally irrelevant and distracting and didn’t set a good tone for the rest of the film.

Let’s just say that this film is not getting shining reviews. If you’re really interested in seeing this movie, I would suggest waiting for it to come out on DVD. The “theater experience” lends nothing but a good chunk of cash down the drain.

“Bounty Hunter” is entertaining, but it certainly won’t capture you.

At the beginning of the year, I did a column looking ahead at 2010 and what movies would be coming out to look forward to. Here it is, the end of March, and my hopes are dwindling. And we haven’t even come into the enormous phase of notoriously groanworthy sequels awaiting us. I’ll make my prediction now that next year’s “Best Picture” winner will be a sleeper hit similar to “The Hurt Locker.” The glitzy, star-studded, heavily advertised blockbusters are turning into nothing but disappointments, and there’s no hint of change anytime soon.

The big film companies seem to have lost their heart and are sticking with carbon copies of past successes — but they are patronizing their audiences. Most viewers can appreciate risks taken in plot, casting and direction. These risks have been sorely lacking as of late.

2 of 5 stars