Today’s quick review: The Bounty Hunter. While investigating a suspicious suicide, journalist Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston) misses a court date and has a warrant put out for her arrest. Her ex-husband Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), now working as a bounty hunter, delights at the opportunity to take her to jail. But the job gets complicated when their old feelings re-emerge, and Milo soon finds himself dragged into Nicole’s investigation.
The Bounty Hunter is a romantic crime comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. Once madly in love, Milo and Nicole are at each other’s throats when Milo receives a warrant to arrest Nicole. The Bounty Hunter splits its time between Milo’s attempts to bring Nicole to jail and the criminal chaos they land in as a result of Nicole’s investigation.
The Bounty Hunter has a healthy sense of humor. Butler’s performance as Milo is petty, stubborn, and charismatic, while Aniston’s Nicole is only marginally more mature. The upper hand shifts between the two throughout the movie, and their bickering and attempts to sabotage one another give The Bounty Hunter plenty of energy.
The Bounty Hunter’s main weakness is that it does a mediocre job of building anticipation. Nicole’s investigation is a fixture throughout the story, but it only takes center stage until the end. The movie throws out a few token clues to keep the investigation going but withholds key information until it is needed. This makes it hard to invest in the mystery itself, rather than the characters, and mutes the impact of the finale.
The Bounty Hunter is a pleasant watch that has a balanced mix of action, bickering, and romance. While it does not handle its plot as deftly as it could, the movie scores with its premise, characters, and humor. The Bounty Hunter will not be for everyone, but those in the mood for something breezy should give it a try.
For another romantic comedy about two exes rekindling their relationship over a shared adventure, try Fool’s Gold or The Love Punch. For a romantic crime comedy with a similar tone, try Hit and Run. For a similar flavor of investigation, try Spenser Confidential or Jack Reacher. For romantic action comedy with a bickering husband-and-wife duo, check out Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
[5.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038919/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for fun chemistry and a decent plot.