A Lot Like Love

Dallas Observer Melissa Levine

An entertainment success, a triple threat of fresh writing, inspired directing, and, yes, good acting.

Variety Brian Lowry

In essence, British director Nigel Cole has brought a breezy arthouse sensibility to this tale of fated love.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Here's a pleasant little romantic comedy that doesn't try too hard and has the virtue of doing a few things differently.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Survives its surface annoyances because Lynch's script also has ambition, heart and something to say other than love conquers all.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Though I liked Love's unhurried pace and oddball digressions, its obligatory romantic-comedy resolution seemed too schematic for what had preceded it.

USA Today Mike Clark

The chuckles here come from the leads' interplay, crying on each other's shoulders and cheering each other up.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

While it's certainly too derivative to be a great movie, it's too goodhearted and modest in its aspirations to be denied.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

If the script isn't as well-structured as it could be, the dialogue is refreshingly natural. Kutcher is surprisingly well cast as the awkward, somewhat dorky Oliver, and Peet is charming and charismatic without being cloying or artificial.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Kutcher and Peet are a low-wattage pair, with little of the verbal riffing that counts as seduction in most romantic comedies, but they have real chemistry together, and A Lot Like Love happily indulges their silly, juvenile one-upmanship.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

Peet is triumphant as the beguiling object of desire with wounded-bird eyes and devilish smile -- sexy and tart, then, in the space of a breath, totally, tenderly tragic. Like Oliver, we'd happily follow her anywhere.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

It is charming and at times disarmingly surprising.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Isn't half bad and every so often is pretty good, filled with real sentiment, worked-through performances and a story textured enough to sometimes feel a lot like life.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

This is a hand-me-(dumbed)-down chick flick that is counting on Kutcher's tabloid popularity and Peet's unmistakable though here underutilized talents to cover up for rote characterizations, tired plot devices and a general lack of inspiration.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

In A Lot Like Love, there is no doubt - nor suspense, nor depth.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

The big screen doesn't seem to like Kutcher much, or even to GET him, whatever there is to get.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

An unfortunate casting decision, however, comes close to sabotaging a witty script.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Too often, the script collapses into what feels like improvisation, in which the characters find a kind of common ground: Infantilism.

TV Guide Angel Cohn

Enjoyable and funny enough.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A Lot Like Love is a lot like a romantic comedy, except that all that's keeping these two kids apart is the trivially insufferable movie they're in.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

As the film stopped counting back in years and switched to months, I panicked that it would slog on to weeks, hours and seconds before reaching its inevitable end. I was wrong. About A Lot Like Love leaving you wanting a lot less, I am right.

Village Voice Ben Kenigsberg

Interjections from perennial second bananas Kathryn Hahn (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and Kal Penn (winning even when not conjuring vivified bags of pot) generate the only sparks.

Empire Liz Beardsworth

Peet works hard with the slight material and there are some cutely kooky moments.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Say this for A Lot Like Love: It isn't one of those impossibly witty romantic comedies.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

A poor man's "When Harry Met Sally."

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

A Lot Like Love is, well, a lot like many other movies. It's also a lot like having your eyeballs seared by a propane flame -- in a bad way.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

The whole production is simply as mediocre and half-baked as Hollywood gets.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

This interminable contest between two narcissists, stretched out over many miles and years, is supposed to have something to do with romance.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

It starts with a bang and ends with a whimper.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

What's the point of the picture, except to allow Kutcher fans occasional peeks at acting talent he usually keeps hidden?

Boston Globe Ty Burr

''Love" doesn't have a plot so much as it has a concept, scribbled in crayon.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

To call A Lot like Love dead in the water is an insult to water.