So was wie Liebe (A Lot Like Love)
U.S.A. 2005

Opening 23 Jun 2005

Directed by: Nigel Cole
Writing credits: Colin Patrick Lynch
Principal actors: Amanda Peet, Ashton Kutcher, Taryn Manning, Aimee Garcia, Lee Garlington

I won’t spoil this film by telling you the beginning – I will just say it is not what you expect. And despite all the comparisons in the press, A Lot Like Love is not really a lot like When Harry Met Sally either, although the parallels are inescapable. By comparing the two, however, one does both films an injustice. When Harry Met Sally is the funnier film, but the parallels in the stories have mostly to do with the large span of years between the first meeting and the final clinch and the fact that the two soulmates are really friends before they end up together. Both films also have actors with great rapport and charisma, although Ashton Kutcher (as Oliver) is not as funny as Billy Crystal (who is?) nor can Amanda Peet (Emily) compete on that level with Meg Ryan. But she sure is beautiful (and has great hair, too), and Kutcher and Peet have good chemistry. The charming story, with a couple of surprising twists, is the first screenplay by Colin Patrick Lynch, a playwright and actor. And the film was directed by Nigel Cole, who was responsible for Saving Grace and Calendar Girls. This entertaining movie will win no Oscars, but there is still a lot to like about A Lot Like Love! (Adele Riepe)

Second Opinion

New college grad Oliver Martin (Ashton Kutcher) and starving actress Emily Friehl (Amanda Peet) meet by chance at a club in New York. Their intense meeting and most endearing first time kiss will continue to hang in the balance of their lives for the next seven years. Every relationship they each seem to enter is oddly measured by the memory of their initial New York encounter. To be or not to be, in love…is their question? So, what holds them back from just taking the plunge to get on with their romance and live happily ever-after? They are opposites and recognize that their friendship is better off without a mix of romance. They like their goofy friendship and their safe haven that they have created. But Oliver wants the ideal traditional American Dream that is stable and leaves little room for spontaneity. Emily wants spontaneity to take her to a stable American Dream. As much as they try to communicate these ideals, they never seem to be honest with what is important to them nor their true feelings for each other. There is one main condition that Emily puts on all her relationships which allows her to know if it is her ticket to true love. Oliver tries to discover the condition but continues to brutally fail until Emily herself realizes that this condition was met years ago, giving her the green light to finally be honest with Oliver about her love for him. Unfortunately, too many years go by with their cat and mouse game that reveals an unrealistic chain of events. Thank goodness this is not like Love at all! Although, if it does represent a post-modern generation and how they deal with relationships, they have a bleak future to the art good decision-making and transparency. (Karen Pecota)