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 f you plan on watching "Just Married" for the
comedy, then my suggestion is to not bother with the actual movie and to watch
the film's 2-minute trailer instead. Simply put, there isn't any more comedy to
be had in the film other than the jokes already revealed in the trailer. Save
yourself the money if comedy is what you're after.
"Just Married" stars Ashton Kutcher ("Texas
Rangers") as Tom, an average guy who meets, falls in love, and then
marries spoiled rich girl Sarah (played by Brittany Murphy, last seen skanking
the screen up in "8 Mile").
The movie actually opens with Tom and Sarah returning home from their honeymoon
in Europe ready to tear each other apart. The film then flashes back to show how
they came to be this way. If you like watching two attractive young people
pretending to have chemistry and squeezing out unfunny jokes as if their life
depended on it, then "Just Married" is for you. (Actually, the whole
lack of chemistry thing is a bit perplexing considering that the two actors were
actually dating at the time of the movie. Go figure.)
I will admit that the trailer for "Just Married"
had me chuckling, but unfortunately that's all there was to be had with the full
movie -- some chuckling. As characters, you can't get anymore uninteresting than
Tom and Sarah. He's an average guy working an average job and she's a rich
princess. Of course the stuffy dad wants her to marry a man of his choosing, but
she wants the "wild and free" guy that Tom is. In the end, they'll
learn that "all you need is love" or some other non-practical idealism
along that line. There's nothing original here, folks, move along.
ven for a Romantic Comedy -- a genre of film with a bar
that is, by its very nature quite low -- "Just Married" doesn't
provide nearly enough romance or comedy. This could be explained by the general
absence of the two comedic sidekicks, an aspect of Romantic Comedies that is
crucial to keeping the comedy and romance at a balanced level. (If you don't
know, the leads provide the romance and the sidekicks provide the comedy.)
In
"Married", we have David Moscow as Tom's best friend Kyle, and I
believe an actress plays Sarah's sister, although I couldn't tell you her name
since she's barely in the movie. And since the movie spends much of its time in
Europe during the disastrous honeymoon, the sidekicks are left at home where
they have absolutely nothing to do with the movie.
In short, the screenplay by Sam Harper is pedestrian and
tries to force much of the comedy. Director Shawn Levy offers little by way of
inspiration and it's a miracle he even managed the few chuckles that could be
found here. The film's primary draw is its two attractive leads, which means
there isn't anything here for anyone looking for something more.
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