The Bounty Hunter (PG-13, 2010)

One of the biggest principles of romantic comedy is this: The couple must have scorching chemistry. It’s a pity, because Aniston and Butler have none. They both look great and sound great -- well, Aniston, anyway (more on this later) -- but paired together, we get nothing. The second rule of thumb: The story has to scamper lightly, but with great charm, and, sadly, THE BOUNTY HUNTER does neither, let alone both. The plot is predictable, the pacing clunky. And this despite numerous location shoots and ostensibly fast-moving hijinks.

Why Aniston chooses material like this is baffling. She has great comic timing and delivery that could be put to better use in less formulaic fare, but here she is, amiable and likable and looking great while phoning it in. Truly, it’s beneath her. And beneath him, too. Butler is not as rakishly appealing here as he is in other films (P.S. I Love You, for starters), and his accent is all wrong. To bring Milo’s oafishness across, he relies on clichéd shorthand, like chewing with his mouth open. Thank goodness for supporting actors like SNL’s Jason Sudeikis and Siobhan Fallon Hogan, who actually outshine them both.