Kat Kiefer-Newman

This is a sentimental movie, no way around it. If you dislike sentimentality you’ll hate it. Jennifer Anniston plays the messy, often inarticulate, and completely understated character she’s famous for. Aaron Ekhart, though, captures this tortured character perfectly; he makes a potentially unlivable person super sympathetic, also. The biggest complaint people seem to have is that this isn’t what they expected from a love story. I get that. It’s called “Love Happens.” It’s a bad title for the movie, for sure. And Anniston and Ekhart spend most of the movie in awkward conversations, and that’s when they’re together, which isn’t more than 1/2 of the movie. But this movie isn’t about Ekhart and Anniston falling in love. The movie is about Ekhart coming to forgive himself. Right at the beginning Anniston surprises him, makes him curious, and that act is the crack of light in a very solid wall he’s put up. That’s it. His curiosity pushes more and more against the wall, but it is completely clear that this isn’t a man ready to start a new relationship. His growth is painful and hard to watch. There is a catharsis to it. But like real life, the cathartic moment is just the beginning (and right at the end of the movie — sorry, spoiler). So. Watch or don’t. But Ekhart’s acting is fairly brilliant and worth the time.