Universal Pictures | 2009 | Rated PG-13 | 109 minutes

In LOVE HAPPENS, Aaron Eckhart (THE DARK KNIGHT) stars as Dr. Burke Ryan, PhD, a widower who after losing his wife in a fatal car accident, wrote a book on how to cope with loss that becomes a self-help sensation. In Seattle to lead one of his “A-Okay” workshops, Ryan encounters Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), a quirky owner of a local flower shop who has a penchant for writing obscure words such as “quidnunc” behind the framed art adorning the hotel walls. The two do not instantly hit it off, but eventually do begin to spend time together during Ryan’s brief stay and he soon must confront issues from his past to discover if he truly is ready to move on in his life. The premise behind LOVE HAPPENS is pretty straightforward, and unfortunately, if anyone’s already seen the film’s trailer, they in all honesty have seen the entire movie. The trailer shows key moments from each of the film’s acts as well as the turning points, all presented in a linear fashion that conveys exactly how the story will progress which leads to the question, if one can glean the entire movie by investing only a couple of minutes of their time, why then should they sit through over an hour and a half of the exact same thing in the theatre?

The fact is, there are no surprises to be discovered in the film that have not already been shown in the trailer. Even the entire arc of the storyline between Ryan’s estranged relationship with his father-in-law (Martin Sheen) is illustrated in the film’s previews, so unfortunately, sitting through the film for the first time, one has the feeling that everything has been seen before and that nothing is fresh and new, waiting to be discovered by an audience. While this isn’t necessarily the fault of whomever assembled the trailer, it does speak volumes about the predictability of the film itself. LOVE HAPPENS is beyond formulaic, and writer and director Brandon Camp (DRAGONFLY) and co-writer Mike Thompson (DRAGONFLY) have simply taken a stock premise, that of the “boy meets girl” variety and have done nothing more to add to it or strengthen it. It’s as if they were simply filling out a Mad Libbed version of a screenplay outline that can be found in any basic writing text. “What is the main character’s conflict?” “He lost his wife in a car accident.” “What is his unique trait?” “He never takes elevators, but always walks up stairs.” “What is his love interest’s conflict?” “She always seems to date the wrong guys.” “What is her unique trait?” “She writes bizarre words on walls behind artwork.” He has an over the top best friend. She has an over the top best friend. While this is of course the basis of a foundation for developing characters, it absolutely must be expanded upon, and unfortunately, LOVE HAPPENS stays at the superficially formulaic level without ever delving deeper. Audiences will of course know what will happen every step of the way as there is no new ground explored.

Even though the film is entirely routine, it is not painful to watch, and this is because of two performances in the film, that of Aaron Eckhart and John Carroll Lynch (GRAN TORINO). Eckhart proves once again that he is quite possibly one of the most underrated actors working in Hollywood, as he consistently finds the true essence at the heart of each character he plays and brings that so vividly to life on screen. Even in the stock atmosphere of this film, Eckhart still gives a performance completely based in an authenticity that transcends the writing on the page. Had a lesser actor been cast in the lead of the film, Ryan would have easily just become too plastic and more of a caricature than a fully realized character, especially as he tried to sell the equally stock scenes of constantly spouting generic self-help rhetoric that has been heard time and time again such as “how important it is to look at things from new perspectives.” Eckhart though excels at translating a naturalistic style of acting to bring a character to life through their emotional depth, and luckily, his performance is at the center of LOVE HAPPENS, for it is ultimately what draws the audience in.

Likewise, Lynch brings an incredible intensity to his role as Walter, the father who grieves for his lost son, and his scenes are the film’s saving graces. He and Eckhart play beautifully off of one another, and thankfully Walter’s storyline was given a substantial amount of screen time to illustrate the core of the emotionality the filmmakers were attempting to convey with the rest of the picture.

It is unfortunate when talented actors are trapped in something as formulaic as LOVE HAPPENS, but both Eckhart and Lynch deliver performances that could justify seeing the movie. If however one does not feel like sitting in a theatre for just under two hours, the trailer is always right there and ready for viewing and will honestly deliver pretty much the exact same experience.

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