A So-So Romantic Comedy

Love happens? Ok, I agree, but the question of the day is: Where and when does it happen in this movie? The trailers have you believing it’s a sentimental love story between Jennifer Aniston andAaron Eckhart. The movie is in fact the emotional journey of Burke, played by Aaron Eckhart, as a guy who is guilt-ridden over the automobile crash that took the life of his loving wife nearly three years ago. I don’t know about you, but I have a problem with deception and clearly we are deceived about the true nature of this film.

From the get go we are submersed in the world of the self help guru Burke, the navy pin-striped suit healer who will help you with your loss. He so much as guarantees it. Participants practice ‘self talk’ in particular with the phrase “I am Ok!” Burke’s logo is a hand displaying the Ok symbol. The problem with this scenario is the fact that Burke is not Ok. He has not dealt with the sudden death of his wife and suffers emotionally because of it. He can’t ride in an elevator, he drinks alone and he’s estranged from his mother and father-in-law. He preaches the evils of using alcohol to deal with grief although we see him drinking alone in his hotel room night after night.

Burke and Eloise have a cute meet at his hotel as she’s a flower arranger who leaves obscure words behind those large pieces of framed hall art work. Are you bored yet? Each time she leaves a word, Burke looks it up in the dictionary. Yawn…. Burke finds Eloise intriguing and they begin dating. The good thing is that he starts to listen to Eloise and does actually take her advice in a few situations. He begins to open up about the death of his deceased wife and we see him begin to change before our very eyes.

The self help seminars are largely the focus of the film and you can’t help but feel the heartbreaking pain as losing a loved one is extremely emotional. Be prepared to tear up as several scenes are touching. A great performance is portrayed by John Carroll Lynch who plays Walter, a construction worker who lost his 10-year-old son in an onsite job. As a result, he can no longer go into a hardware store and has anger issues. Burke’s healing involves group interaction and developing trust. He goes so far as to walk over hot burning coal and expects his group members to do the same. The sessions are cathartic for some but others have a ways to go.

The film is clearly not about falling in love; it’s about dealing with the loss of a loved one. I don’t mind this topic, but I do mind being misled by the trailers. This is a film about grief and the healing process. 

The director and writer is Brandon Camp and this is his directing debut. Martin Sheen plays Burke's estranged Father-in-Law who wants so desperately to have a relationship with Burke. We view an emotional scene by Sheen and he really shines. Aniston is ok but doesn’t have much to work with as the script is weak and her part is minor. By the ending scene, when she and Eckhart finally kiss for the first time, we really don’t care as we simply don’t know enough about either character.

Sarah Adamson © 2009