Customer Reviews

Love Happens

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

It is not often that 'popular romance comedies' have the courage to tackle issues like death and grieving and make the story work, but such is the case with LOVE HAPPENS, a good little film written (with Mike Thompson) and directed by Brandon Camp. And it helps to have a solid cast of popular and well-schooled actors to pull off a subject that might make a few people uneasy.

Dr. Burke (Aaron Eckhart) is a seminar man who runs a business with his colleague Lane (Dan Fogler) based on helping people cope with grief - a group called 'A-Okay'. Burke is a popular guru, more so because of his reason for ministering to grievers: his beloved wife died three years ago in a car accident so Burke can speak about grief from experience. But it seems he is running away from something, too. Most of his followers don't notice, but one man Walter (John Carroll Lynch) is a particularly needy client and seems to pick up on something missing in Burke's seminars. Burke is currently in Seattle (his deceased wife's home) with his manager Lane (who is cooking up all manner of marketing tools and opportunities for the A-Okay team). Burke happens to literally bump into Eloise (Jennifer Aniston) who owns a flower business catering to the hotel in which the seminar is being staged. Eloise seems addicted to losers, and is freshly apart from her latest affair: she is comforted and supported by her sole employee, the somewhat dingy Marty (Judy Greer in a terrific cameo), who encourages Eloise to look for some stability in her next mate.

Burke is attracted to Eloise but is so out of practice in the dating game that he comes across as vulnerable - a trait that makes Eloise wary at first and attracted later. The odd things the two do in the mating dance finally result in the uncovering of the secret problems Burke carries. Refreshingly enough the film does not sell out with a happy-wappy ending, just a few thoughts that are particularly tender.

Eckhart and Aniston are a terrific team on the screen: both are lovable without resorting to being sappy and repetitive. Fogler and Greer are excellent as are such fine actors as Martin Sheen and Frances Conroy in memorable cameos. There is a lot to like in this film that makes it a step above the usual 'chick flicks' that were more popular in theaters. Perhaps audiences, sadly, have difficulty hearing about grieving, but death, as well as Love, happens! Grady Harp, February 10

"Love Happens" is the perfect name for this true turn of heart film.

Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart star as florist (Eloise Chandler) and self help guru (Dr Burke Ryan) as they slowly run through each others' emotional defensive shields. Dr Ryan, is a successful self help speaker who helps people deal with grief and loss, but cannot deal with his own issues. Eloise Chandler is a florist with several 'lost' relationships. Through the film both main characters dodge what is happening, and when they least expect it, love truly happens.

So much for the summary.

Unlike man films with truly predictable outcomes and even dialogue, Love Happens, falls just outside the envelope. It is not predictable, but more believable as far as scripting goes. Not sappy, but sappy enough for the lover of chick flicks, it strikes the right chord.

Both Aniston and Eckhart are believable in their roles. Their onscreen chemistry is remarkable and renders this film one of the best in current memory.

I found this movie to be extremely helpful in the time I needed support the most. My little brother died obout a month ago. When I came home from the funeral this movie was in my mailbox from Netflix. I didn't even realize it was partly about letting go and taking the time needed to mourn the loss of our loved ones. I'm so thankful for watching this movie.

This film worked as a study in grief. The characters were sensitive, tried real hard, and worked through some heavy stuff. The idea of a bestselling author/speaker running seminars on grief when he had a few not-so-hidden bones rattling around in his closet was very intriguing. And I really liked the way it all played out.

What didn't work for me was the Eloise (Aniston)/Burke (Eckhart) romance aspect. I didn't understand why, in the midst of his struggle/depression, he became so passionately fascinated with her. I also didn't understand much of their relationship overall and why there was such interest on both sides. Many of their moments together just felt painful.

There was no sex but there were a few token comments. Overall pretty clean with some moderate language. If you like introspective relationships or exploring the fascinating world of mourning, or Eckhart or Aniston you might like it. I'd suggest a rental first if you are unsure.

I thoroughly dislike chick flicks, and rom-coms are just flat out annoying. So why do I like LOVE HAPPENS? Believe me, I gave this film every chance to bug me to the point I would stop watching, but it never happened. So again, why? I'll try to hack out a soppy answer.

Chemistry. There is a legitimate chemistry between LOVE HAPPENS stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart; they're not cookie cutter one-dimensionals that populate so many other films of this genre--these characters are believable, interact believably, and harbor true anguish and pain. Eckhart, playing self-help guru Burke (who has penned a bestseller about how to deal with pain and loss), by fate meets Eloise (Aniston), who is the florist for the Seattle hotel where Burke is conducting a seminar. Even though Burke is helping others cope with their grief, it becomes more and more obvious he's bottling up some pain of his own. (His wife having died in an auto accident some years before.) Meanwhile Eloise has been in one disastrous relationship after another, but she has a heart of gold and is willing to help Burke--if Burke will first help himself. All of this rushes headlong to a climactic scene featuring an interaction between Burke and his former father-in-law (Martin Sheen is very special); this scene was so compelling and poignant and tender I had to keep reminding myself I normally don't like movies like this.

Sure, much of the film is sappy and contrived, and Eloise's habit of leaving obscure words behind paintings at the hotel struck me as more than annoying, but overall I very much enjoyed LOVE HAPPENS. Dan Fogler and John Carroll Lynch stand out amidst a solid supporting cast. There's pain, there's humor, there's romance, there's anguish--in short, there's life. Why? Because LOVE HAPPENS.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

Attention: This is not a romantic comedy. I repeat, this is not a romantic comedy.

I just watched this on DVD with my mom, and having practically zero expectations, we both liked it a lot. I believe it was Brandon Camp's directorial debut (as well as screenwriter), and we were curious to see the film that was so promoted by his father, Joe Camp (since we both subscribe to his blog). We both feel that if the movie had been promoted for what it is, an engaging drama with a few moments of light comedy to even things out, it would have done much better at the box office. Even the title was way off base - this movie is not about their romance, but rather about grieving, denial, and finally healing.

From the opening scenes, the fantastic cinematography captured our attention, and the pace of the unfolding story kept us interested. We both cried buckets at the end, but were given a parting chuckle to lighten things up. Sure there were some contrived moments, but it's not a documentary - and we were entertained. I know the Camp family must have put their hearts and souls into getting this film made, and I wish the public's expectations had been set properly so that the film could have succeeded on its own merits, instead of being compared and coming up short, to the lighter, fluffier rom-com genre. We thought it was a winner.

"Love Happens" is a wonderful romantic tale about an author (played to pitch perfection by Aaron Eckhart) who is dealing with the loss of his wife in a car accident when he meets a beautiful, young florist, played by Jennifer Aniston.

The chemistry between Aaron and Jennifer is evident, the script is strong, and the supporting roles, most notably Martin Sheen's, are memorable.

Although I believe the movie is one of the better romantic films over the last few years "Love Happens" didn't jell at the box office, but sold nearly 8,000,000 copies on DVD.

Extras include commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette called "Giving Romance A New Look" that looks at the visual effects of the movie.

An A+ film.

I normaly dont like Jennifer Aniston so I was very reluctant to even watch this movie, but with a little arm twisting from my family.. I did and was totaly surprised.. she usualy plays the same charater just uses different name.. but here she actualy moves beyond her usual boundries and is wonderful.. KEEP it up Jenn

Love Happens.....We have seen this concept over and over in films (chick flicks mainly). I do indulge in the occasional chick flick but this one was just plain awful. Does Jennifer Aniston ever play a different character? The chemistry between her and Aaron Eckhart is painful to watch. The two do not connect at all and is dreadful and dull to watch. The parrot in this film is more entertaining to watch. It's just awful and don't waste your time.

If there are two people on the planet with less chemistry that Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston, the British monarchy would already have found them. A shockingly poor pair for a cop-buddy movie, let alone a morbidly obsessed quasi-rom-com, it makes you long for the days when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan would fallen in love... again.

The Script-o-rama quality plot goes something like: a widower who finds success as a self-help guru, dates a flower shop owner and comes face to face with an inner truth he has been suppressing. If this sounds like a book, that's probably because it's a book. To spice things up, however, the story has been set in Seattle - mostly near the space needle thing, since that's the only part of Seattle that exists in the movies, unless you include Samara's well. In lieu of a plot, the writers have been kind enough to give us corny cliches every 5 minutes or so, and I'd recommend taking a shot every time one rears its head in yet another clunky scene.

Here were my favorite groan-inducing, and yet potentially shot-slamming, moments:
- The lead lady is a good-as-gold flower shop owner - a passion of her's to be sure - who's only customer is some crazy old lady who probably pays in coupons from the back of parking tickets.
- Her only employee is a idiosyncratic poetry-slamming hipster, who fails at maintaining flowers effectively but exists to provide fortune cookie-quality advice to her.
- The hero's dead wife made a last request that "he set her parrot free", barely realizing the irony of the metaphor for his guilt. And the irony that parrots largely like to sit still and would rather imitate a car alarm that go for the this whole freedom gig.
- Eckhart's audience of self-help followers respond to his "telling the truth" initially with a slow clap, developing into a standing ovation, and then "I love you, man" rousing support. All while Martin Sheen is clamped around his shoulders like a possessed limpet, bawling his eyes out, and apparently wearing the same jacket as he had in The Departed.
- There's a retail therapy scene where everyone shops at Home Depot, in a very poor and distant imitation of the Pretty Woman montage. Buying hardware apparently helps one of the main characters overcome his son's death. And that actor is the scary guy from Fincher's Zodiac Killer.

There are many more, but then there's also some plain nonsense. Such as Aniston's old vintage car that reveals her old-fashioned and solid character values. Or that she graffitis barely-understood words behind pictures, presumably for one lucky man to find, thus enabling our hero to learn more about her by searching for the words (yes, really). Then there's an old lady who makes cookies out of her husband's ashes.

I'm suspecting that this was originally a fairly dark script about dealing with death, then the studio injected a romantic subplot because a major star got involved. Or it was a passable romantic comedy that got toned down due to a test audience screening. Either way, what's left behind is a romantic half-plot that is completely dishonest with itself and a "dealing with grief" lesson that mixes random half-truths with utter phoniness. Add a bunch of underused characters, a parrot, shake and bake, and you're done. The drinking game has potential though.