Love at second glance

Since its 1989 release, Rob Reiner’s semi-classic romantic comedy, When Harry Met Sally, has had more than its share of imitators but very few equals. With two remarkable romantic leads and a knowing script, A Lot Like Love manages to put its own laid-back spin on the age-old question, "Can men and women be just friends?" Like its many predecessors, the film is not in the league of When Harry Met Sally, but that doesn’t seem to be its goal.

On a flight from Los Angeles to New York, Emily (Amanda Peet) and Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) make a connection and even spend the day together after bumping into each other in the Big Apple. Although they have a great time, both agree they would never work as a couple. Over the next seven years, their paths continue to cross, with their friendship growing at each chance meeting. But the timing is never right for either of them. For example, they end up at a New Year’s party and share a kiss, but Oliver is preparing to move to San Francisco to start his business.

Oliver and Emily struggle with their respective careers and failed romances, they confiding everything in each other along the way. As the two try to find their place in the world and someone to share it with, they realize they might not need to look too far.

A Lot Like Love scores points for its emphasis on unspoken connections. Although the dialogue has a natural flow, it is when we see Oliver and Emily interact and react to each other that the movie gets its wings. When the two first see each other in the airport, Oliver checks Emily out as we see her checking him out checking her out. Over the years, their faces become virtual road maps to their hearts as it is clear that each longs for the other. Credit must be given for the brilliant casting of Peet and Kutcher, who seem to get better with each role. Both appear to have mastered the finer points of screen acting, which has much more to do with reacting to people than hamming it up. Kutcher, who has taken a lot of heat for both his relationship with Demi Moore and his exploits on his TV show Punk’d, is a natural comic actor who should be around for the long haul.

Where A Lot Like Love falters is in its resolution, which is a tad too Hollywood. The movie takes the time to build a fairly realistic portrait of relationships, only to take the easy way out in the end.A Lot Like Love might not end up on any top-10 lists at the end of the year, but in its unassuming way, it has a lot to say about matters of the heart.

A Lot Like Love
PG-13
Playing at area theaters
Two-and-a-half reels out of four

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National Treasure
PG
Available Tuesday

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