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'Love Happens' isn't quite as cliched as it seems
(by Stacey Rynders - September 30, 2009)
I walked into the cinema to watch Love Happens on a day when the last thing I wanted to see was a cliché romantic comedy. I walked out of the theater mildly surprised that this particular film is a bit more nuanced than first expected.
Love Happens drew hearty laughs from both the men and the women in the audience, managed to briefly travel into tearjerker terrain without being overly sentimental and somehow more adequately mimicked the topsy-turvy adventure of meeting someone and falling in love than the vast majority of romantic comedies. I’m not going to claim this is an Oscar winner, because it’s not. But it is an enjoyable thumbs-up cinematic story for the fall season.
Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) is a self-help author on the cusp of hitting the jackpot as the next Rachel Ray of syndicated, cross-promotion deals. However, Burke’s mission is to help people overcome the loss of a loved one; he bases his methodology on his own experience of overcoming the death of his wife.
Yet the portrait of success is a bit different than the reality. Burke breaks his own rules in private and is essentially floating from promoting one self-help seminar to the next. Running, in a way, with the flood of success — and not facing his own emotional upheaval despite his sincere and wholehearted efforts to help others overcome their broken hearts.
This is where the sidebar story of Walter (John Carroll Lynch) brings extra poignancy and depth to Love Happens. Walter is a father broken from the death of his son and begrudgingly attending Burke’s Seattle seminar. This small, though compelling, secondary story is a dramatic interlude to the romantic thread running through the film.
Enter the love interest. Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston) is a florist who owns her own boutique and does the floral design at the hotel where Burke is staying and conducting his week-long seminar. A quirky habit of Eloise catches Burke’s attention, which leads to a somewhat painful series of introductions between the two.
Eloise, a woman of professional success, is also a woman with disastrous romantic encounters that leave her defensive. Yet, the resulting awkwardness in Eloise and Burke’s less-than-heated entrance into courtship is full of laughs and character-revealing moments.
In Love Happens, I was particularly drawn to Eckhart’s performance, which eloquently vacillates through a range of emotion. When Martin Sheen’s character enters the film for the first time, it is Eckhart’s body language that first intrigues. “What is coming?” was a question I couldn’t answer until the film divulged the answer. But, it was obvious that an important detail was building in this seemingly benign exchange. It is Eckhart’s in-depth character portrayal that makes Love Happens rise above a mundane romantic comedy status and transforms it into a beefier flick.
Of course, the writing by Mike Thompson and Brandon Camp, who is also the director, also broadens the film’s appeal with its well-measured pacing, a tempo that tiptoes between humor, sadness, joy, emancipation and discovery. And it does not cross into cliché. The only predictable thing about this screenplay is that in the end, the guy gets the girl. But the journey is an interesting character-defining venture that travels the gamut of emotion.
The script proves enhancing for Aniston as well, who works well with Eckhart’s character. However, her role requires less intensity so is less magnetic in comparison.
Supporting performances come in strong from Judy Greer and Dan Fogler. Greer plays the vivacious extrovert Marty, who is Eloise’s sidekick. While it is a bit of a typecast character for Greer, it suits her well. Fogler plays Lance, Burke’s zealous manager and well-intentioned friend. His role provides a balance and anchor for Burke.
Love Happens is an enjoyable film before the frenzy of Oscar-buzz cinema arriving later this season. While it’s not a must-see at the theater, it is worth catching in the future. Or, try a rainy Sunday afternoon when the theater is full and the crowd is happy to laugh.
• Love Happens is playing at the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas, located at 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd.
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