A BOUNTY HUNTER LEARNS THAT HIS NEXT TARGET IS HIS EX-WIFE, A REPORTER WORKING ON A MURDER COVER-UP. SOON AFTER THEIR REUNION, THE ALWAYS-AT-ODDS DUO FIND THEMSELVES ON A RUN-FOR-THEIR-LIVES ADVENTURE.In the bouncy romantic comedy The Bounty Hunter, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler aim to be a contemporary Nick and Nora for an audience that's never even heard of The Thin Man. Ex-cop-turned-bounty hunter Milo Boyd (Butler, 300) is ecstatic when he gets his new assignment: his ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurley (Aniston), has skipped bail to pursue a breaking story. Naturally, when he catches her, he also gets caught up in the mystery--though the mystery is really just an excuse for quirky comic bickering between the estranged lovebirds. Refreshingly, the script has the kind of off-beat rhythms and flavors of comedy-action flicks like Midnight Run, Out of Sight, and Something Wild, and the supporting cast (featuring Christine Baranski, Mamma Mia!; Peter Greene, Pulp Fiction; Jeff Garlin, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Siobhan Fallon, Saturday Night Live; Cathy Moriarty, Raging Bull; and beloved character actress Carol Kane) is a colorful collection of great faces and pungent personalities. It's unfortunate that the leads are a tad bland; Aniston and Butler aren't bad, but they don't have the snap, crackle, and pop that the movie craves. Nonetheless, The Bounty Hunter rises above the average Hollywood rom-com. --Bret Fetzer


Stills from The Bounty Hunter (Click for larger image)