Aaron Eckhart & Jennifer Aniston

Love happens. Doesn't it, though? So do other, less pleasant fragrances. So do other things, sometimes.

This much is clear in the well-acted fraud "Love Happens," a blend of pathos and rom-com adorability co-written and directed, woozily, by first-time feature filmmaker Brandon Camp.

Aaron Eckhart plays Burke, a best-selling therapist and grief guru whose bereavement counseling gig in Seattle -- just another stop on his benumbed tour -- is improved when he meets a flower arranger played by Jennifer Aniston.

They meet in a hotel hallway, but the film's too demure and clinical to take advantage of any nearby beds.

This is serious business, and "Love Happens" doesn't dare poke fun at Burke's line of work, or his crises of newfound fame and wealth.

His own grief, relating to a fatal car accident involving his wife, has smudged his way of seeing things, and while it takes a village to accomplish some things in this life, in "Love Happens" it only takes a florist.

I wish the movie made emotional sense, because it's all about getting in touch with whatever's holding you back, but it doesn't.

Camp and fellow screenwriter Mike Thompson shove the two leads together, take their attraction on faith and leave the rest to the talented but stranded stars.

Aniston has been dogged by bum luck when it comes to choosing projects that are worth doing. Only John Carroll Lynch, the ace character actor, cuts through the blather as one of Burke's customers. Dan Fogler and the winning Judy Greer hang around for moral support as the leads' confidants; Seattle certainly looks swell; and the climactic assault on the tear ducts is like a sentimental, less constructive version of D-Day.

 

"Love Happens" Movie Trailer

Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself.

Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice.

Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where hes speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance?

 

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MPAA rating: PG-13 (for some language including sexual references).

Running time: 1:49.

Starring: Aaron Eckhart (Burke); Jennifer Aniston (Eloise); Dan Fogler (Lane); Judy Greer (Marty); John Carroll Lynch (Walter).

Directed by Brandon Camp; written by Camp and Mike Thompson; produced by Scott Stuber and Thompson. A Universal Pictures release.

 

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