Love bites, love bleeds, Love...Happens?

"Hey life
Look at me
I can see the reality
'Cause when you
Shook me
Took me
Out of my world
I woke up
Suddenly I just woke up
To the happening"
--"The Happening", The Supremes


In Love Happens, Aaron Eckhart plays Burke Ryan, a self help guru and soon to be world famous author who's still grieving internally over the death of his wife three years ago. It seems that his book has garnered him enough attention to stage workshops and lead him to the brink of superstardom. However, while he can help others overcome the loss of their loved ones, he finds that he can't do it himself.

Enter Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), the (somewhat quirky) proprietor of a floral shop who just might be what Burke needs to leave the past behind and move on to a happier future.

Burke literally bumps into Eloise while leading a workshop in a Seattle, a city that he despises (mainly because his late wife met her untimely demise there) and can't wait to leave. Awkward sparks fly and, after some obstacles, the two find in each other the possibility of happiness.

Meanwhile, Burke tries to help the attendees of his workshop (Walter in particular--a man who lost his son) deal with their grief and fears as he himself remains stifled and unable to progress.

As with Funny People, I saw great and wasted potential in this film. On the surface, it's really not a bad romantic comedy (for the modern era, that is). In fact, prior to seeing the film, I already had the perfect syllogism ready: "If love happens and shit happens, wouldn't love then equal shit?"

Of course, you know what happens with the best laid plans of mice and men...

But I did get into certain aspects of the film. I really enjoyed the internal struggle of Eckhart's character as he tried to escape the guilt over losing his wife. I also found the interaction between him and Walter to be quite moving and effective in tugging at the old heartstrings.

When it came to his relationship with Aniston's Eloise, however, I felt torn. It almost seems as if there were many scenes between them that ended up on the cutting room floor.

After they bump into one another at the hotel and she rushes off, Burke notices that she's written a word (quidnunc, I believe) under one of the framed paintings on the wall. Why she does this is never explained, yet it's used as a plot device throughout the film. Yes, it's interesting, but tell us WHY she does it. I don't have to know every little thing about a character, but if it's in the plot, we need to know why it's important and just not there because it's cool for a character quirk.

For something billed as a romantic comedy, Love Happens never quite lives up to that expectation. Sure, it "happens" but it feels rather forced and arbitrary. And it's really a shame because there was chemistry between Eckhart and Aniston; the problem is that it doesn't really have a spark to get things going. That would have been a different movie altogether.

In the end, there are aspects of the film that are well done and others that feel "by the numbers" as if the writers utilized a "Generate Your Romantic Comedy Plot" book and inserted material in whenever they felt the story was lacking in that area.

I somehow think that there's a great independent film here that was tainted by the Hollywood "powers that be". The filmmakers should have woken up to the fact that they had a gem on their hands and instead of seeing the reality of what could have been, they opted for something that isn't altogether there.

As a sidenote, I noticed something about Aniston. Arguably she's the most successful of the Friends crowd, yet, like in her personal life, she never seems to quite get that brass ring (whether it be breaking out in films or keeping a beau). It's almost as if she's the bridesmaid and never the bride and I can't quite figure out why. I studied her during the film and she does have something magical going on behind those eyes that she hasn't completely figured out yet. She's holding something back and hasn't given it her all yet. When she does (whether it be as a leading actress or in her personal relationships), watch out because she's going to surprise everyone with just how great she can truly be!