The Bounty Hunter

In this romantic action-comedy, Jennifer Aniston plays Nicole Hurley, a New York Daily News reporter dashing about in tight tank tops, miniskirts, and stiletto heels. She's just about to crack a murder cover-up/corruption case when an idiotic accident results in a warrant for her arrest. After she misses her court date, Nicole's boorish ex-husband, Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a policeman-turned-bounty hunter with heavy gambling debts, is determined to turn her in and pick up the $5,000 reward, and so he pursues her to Atlantic City, where she has gone to follow a lead. She resists; he persists. She blathers; he blusters. That these ex-spouses will reconnect is inevitable, but his caveman-like courtship behavior and their insipid banter suffer in the hands of screenwriter Sarah Thorp and director Andy Tennant: instead of reining in the frenetic gesticulating by everyone involved, the filmmakers seem far more concerned about reaping product-placement payoffs, particularly from the Trump Taj Mahal. With Aniston and Butler exuding zero onscreen chemistry, one has to wonder why mismatched Nicole/Milo ever dated in the first place, let alone got married. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (18 min.), a “Stops Along the Road: Hunting Locations” featurette (11 min.), a “Rules for Outwitting a Bounty Hunter” featurette (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “movieIQ” trivia track and the BD-Live function, as well as a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing rom-com.] (S. Granger)