Just Married

Starring Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy and Christian Kane…

Just Married

Starring Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy and Christian Kane

Directed by Sam Levy

“Just Married” is a romantic comedy that dabbles in romance and forgets the comedy. Tom Leezack (Ashton Kutcher) and Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) take a crash course in relationships, beginning with the faithful collision of Tom’s wayward football with Sarah’s head. From that moment on, it’s love at first sight.

Sarah’s family comes from big money and lives in Beverly Hills. Tom has had a more modest upbringing, cultivating his love for beer and sports. This, of course, clashes with Sarah’s family’s views of who her perfect husband should be. Despite all odds, the couple gets engaged a little less than a year after they first meet. Soon they are married and ready to start their young marriage on the right foot during a honeymoon in Italy. Unfortunately, things don’t go exactly as planned.

The story is told in a series of flashbacks, the last being the bulk of the movie, so it’s easy to forget that it ever was a flashback. Switching back and forth in time makes the movie hard to get into during the beginning. The characters aren’t introduced well, especially Sarah’s family. Because her family is a large source of conflict in the movie, it might be nice to know who those boys always standing behind her parents are, or even her sister’s name.

The funniest parts of the movie are given away in the commercials. After that, most of the other gags fall short. The use of crude and slapstick humor is unnecessary when Murphy and Kutcher are certainly capable of something funnier and more sophisticated. The movie is very predictable, especially from the commercials. Even though the couple experiences one pitfall after another, there are no real original mishaps. Murphy seems to giggle inanely throughout most of the film, which is a clear waste of her acting ability, especially after the serious movies she’s been in lately. Kutcher is more of the focus of the film’s comedy, if acting like a whiny little kid can be classified as comedic. Most would call it annoying.

For all of their problems, the resolution comes pretty quick and easy, bringing about a swift end to the movie. Leaving the theater, don’t expect a bellyache from laughing so much. If anything, the characters seem more amused by their antics than anyone. At least they are having a good time.

Kutcher and Murphy do have a nice, goofy chemistry together and some of the scenery of Italy is beautiful. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t favor any of these good points. It tries to pour on the comedy and ends up drowning in all the drama. “Just Married” is one engagement you might want to miss.