What Are The Critics Saying?
"Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler star in this guilty pleasure joy ride. They make a cute bickering couple. Aniston has a sparkling personality and a self-assuredness that makes her extremely watchable. The great chemistry between them is evidenced by bantering conversational foreplay and physical humor when their bodies are in close proximity. There are lots of scenic shots of Atlantic City. The movie satisfies audience expectations of fun and laughter.. an enjoyable date night outing."
Keith Cohen THE MOVIE GUY
"A romantic comedy that’s a step above the rest, "The Bounty Hunter" succeeds solely on the chemistry between its two stars. The better written role and, no surprise, the better performance, goes to Butler, who proves himself a fine comedian. The two stars are helped out by a supporting cast that includes Jeff Garlin, Peter Greene and the always happy to see Christine Baranski."
Michael A Smith CRAZED MOVIE FAN
"This action chase caper starring Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston offers a lot more than just a run-of-the mill rom/com. The car chases and gun slinging through the sordid underbelly of Atlantic City give this film a suspense twist that is reminiscent of The Hangover. With fellow rom-com queen Sandra Bullock taking up Oscar-winning serious acting, it’s nice to know Aniston is not giving up her crown anytime soon. Friends fans can expect the classic bossy Rachel performance, with added 'pow' factor."
Catherine Jones LIVERPOOL ECHO
"Those appealing lead actors: Aniston and Butler; who click enough on the screen to make "The Bounty Hunter" work as a date-night flick. Jason Sudeikis of "Saturday Night Live" is a bright spot in the supporting cast. The Bounty Hunter works as a just fun enough action-comedy that is exactly the movie you think it is. This is the kind of movie that invariably will be called "cute" by movie-goers as they leave the theatre."
Mike Scott TIMES-PICAYUNE
"Director Andy Tennant understands the pacing needed for a rollicking story like this and makes the most of it; Sarah Thorp’s amusing screenplay highlights the push-pull dynamics between the main characters; and there’s just enough slapstick to satisfy most comedy fans. "The Bounty Hunter" is a fast-paced, action-packed romantic comedy. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it, especially after seeing those underwhelming previews. the sizzling chemistry between Butler and Aniston also helps."
Betty Jo Tucker REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS
"Finally we get a movie with the Jennifer Aniston we knew and loved on "Friends." This movie is about Rachel Green ten years later. Aniston looks flat out great. Butler is just as good. In this film he is totally likeable. You also have to add points for Christine Baranski’s performance as Aniston’s mother in the film. She only has a few scenes but each one is a gem of comic timing. The same is true of Jeff Garlin who plays Milo’s boss, Cathy Moriarity who plays a bookie, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan who plays a plain spoken secretary."
Jackie K Cooper JACKIEKCOOPER.COM
The Making Of The Bounty Hunter
The Bounty Hunter began as a friendly over the fence chat between neighbors. The two neighbors just happened to be producer Neal H Moritz and director Andy Tennant, who had collaborated previously on the hit film "Sweet Home Alabama". "Oftentimes, we just chat to each other, literally across the fence," says Tennant. "He asked, 'What are you doing next?' and I said, 'I have no idea.' So Neal said, 'I have a script. Why don’t you take a look?'" That script, by screenwriter Sarah Thorp, turned out to be a perfect match to Tennant’s sensibilities and strengths. Centering on a struggling New York bounty hunter tasked with dragging his ex-wife back to jail, The Bounty Hunter is “not just a romantic comedy,” says Moritz. “It's an action comedy that has romance in it as well. Andy does all of those things – comedy, romance, and action – really well.” What attracted Tennant to the project was a script that would prove to be an action-packed story as well as production. "Here was a movie that was so subversive and funny. It’s a take-no-prisoners marital comedy," Tennant remarks. "Milo Boyd, played by Gerard Butler, is a down on his luck bounty hunter. He used to be a policeman, but got himself booted off the force, and now he's just making ends meet," Moritz explained. "He gets the assignment of his life; his ex-wife, played by Jennifer Aniston, has jumped bail, and he’s got to find her and bring her back." "It’s just the two of them, on the road," says Tennant. "Catching her is easy; bringing her to justice is a bit more challenging." "Milo Boyd was a great cop back in the day. But he could let things get the better of him: including his ex-wife, Nicole," Butler says of his character’s background. "When they got divorced, he lost his way a little bit, even got himself booted off the police force. So he’s now become a bounty hunter, and honestly, he’s not doing too great. He sleeps on a buddy’s sofa half the time. He’s just trying to convince himself that he’s happy. I took one look at this script, and I loved it. It was sharp, hilarious, edgy, and it was on. I laughed from start to finish. And his first thought? "I wanna play that guy." Though Jennifer Aniston’s character, Nicole, seems more put together, she secretly carries just as much baggage as her ex wears on his sleeve. "She’s a reporter and he was a cop, so they would break down cases and stories together," says Aniston. "Somehow or another, as relationships do if you get lazy, they just stopped paying attention, and the things that they loved about each other become the things that they are annoyed with.Nicole is a reporter for the Daily News and she’s skipped a hearing in order to chase a story. So, yeah, she’s a felonn. Now Milo has the opportunity of a lifetime to track her down and bring her to jail, which for him is like a dream come true." "He thinks this is the best day of his life," Butler says. "He’s hugely excited. Of course, that’s where it all goes wrong." "That’s what’s fun about watching this story: as Milo is chasing Nicole, he gets involved in pursuing the story she’s trying to break," Aniston revealed. "So they get back into the beauty of what the fun of what their relationship was." For Butler, the opportunity to show a couple still crazy about each other: even as they drive each other crazy; was a great attraction to the role. “I think their intellects matched beautifully," says Butler. "He loved her humor, her quick wittedness, her doggedness, her stubbornness; all the very things that now drive him up the wall. But it’s clear that Milo and Nicole still have a lot of feelings for each other." "Usually relationships end, you never see the other person, there’s never any closure," says executive producer Ori Marmur ("Evan Almighty").
"In this case, Milo blames Nicole for ruining his life and this is his chance for that closure. It doesn’t work out like he planned. Andy had to craft a movie about two people who are at each other’s throats, but we as the audience know they should obviously be together," Marmur adds. "Milo and Nicole are perfect for each other, but they can’t see it. So, through the bickering and through the fighting, they have to start falling in love as well. Andy really did a great job executing that." "I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Aniston and I'm a huge fan of Gerry Butler. I've tried to do many movies with the both of them," says Moritz of the idea to pair them on this movie. "When this came up, I thought that the combination of Jennifer and Gerry would be a really great, exciting combination." Tennant agrees that casting any famous name wouldn’t do: the chemistry between the lead actors would be everything. "In this case, Milo is a guy’s guy, so we wanted somebody that could play a little down and dirty. Gerry’s one of those guys, but he can also do the comedy. Jennifer Aniston, after ten years of doing "Friends", is really very quick on her feet. She would play with Gerry, but also kind of throw him off a little bit. Watching their scenes together was like watching two people playing a really good game of tennis." "You can put words to all of that, but then there’s just a magic," 2007 Action Movie Star of the Year winner Butler notes. "Our chemistry was great together." "Gerry’s been in a lot of different kinds of movies, but his talent for comedy is just beginning to be explored," says 1985 USC School of Cinema-Television graduate Moritz. "I think this movie was tailor-made for him." Five time People's Choice U.S.A. Award winner Aniston (2001, '02, '03, '04 & '07) says that Butler’s charm put the whole cast and crew at ease. "Gerry’s just funny. That’s what’s so great about him: he’s absolutely disarming. Here comes this gorgeous Scottish actor who you think you should be afraid of, but he’s really just a softy." "I just love the interactions between Jennifer and Gerry in this movie," Moritz ("I Am Legend" & "Prom Night") says. "There was so much playfulness between them, and their relationship evolved over the course of the movie. Jennifer Aniston is obviously a beautiful, attractive, free-spirited, independent woman, just like her character in this movie. We really wanted somebody who had strength, who not only could do comedy but also had some vulnerability to her as well. I think that she really embodied that for this character." "Jen brings fire, intelligence, sexiness, steadiness, and power: everything Nicole needs as an ace reporter," says Butler (The Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera"). In the seedy world of bail bonds and underbelly news reporting, the complementing cast of characters of The Bounty Hunter needed to be just as colorful and comedic as Milo and Nicole. One such character was the role of Stewart, Nicole’s enamored co-worker at the Daily News, whose crush on Nicole gets him into more than his share of trouble. Jason Sudeikis ("Saturday Night Live"), who was cast to bring Stewart to life explained, "He pines for Nicole. She’s the only woman for him and he’s the only man for her, uh, in his mind." The cast and crew applauded the quirkiness that Sudeikis brought to Stewart, which even included growing a signature mustache to add just the right, odd touch. "This is not a stunt mustache," Sudeikis (Mason in "What Happens in Vegas") brags of his homegrown costume piece. "This is the real deal." Sudeikis, who played Holt Richter in fourteen episodes of "The Cleveland Show" was extremely proud of his new growth, despite being told it made him look like "a poor man’s Kevin Kline."
Another eccentric character is Nicole’s mother, Kitty Hurley, played by two time Tony Award Best Actress ("The Real Thing" & "Rumor") and Emmy award ("Cybill") winner, Christine Baranski. Kitty Hurleyis an Atlantic City burlesque performer more concerned about reuniting her daughter with her ex-husband than listening to her daughter’s more pressing legal predicaments. Tennant ("Hitch") says he found the character gave a lot of insight into Nicole. "You read the script, and you think, 'Here’s this newspaper reporter for the Daily News who’s got her life all together, and her mother sings in Atlantic City.' You start to wonder, well, if Nicole is the daughter of this person, she’s gotta be at least a little bit off." "Christine Baranski plays my ex-mother in law," says Butler ("P.S. I Love You"). "You can be so full of hatred for somebody, apparently, but the truth comes out about your feelings when you speak to the third party and there’s no one better for that than the mother in law." The cast is rounded off by two time PGA Television Producer of the Year Award winner Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), who plays Sid, Milo’s harried bounty boss, and CableACE Award winner Cathy Moriarty ("Tales from the Crypt"), who plays Milo’s unforgiving Atlantic City bookie, Irene. Though "The Bounty Hunter" has romantic elements, the filmmakers were clear from the very beginning about the movie they would be making, one in which the action elements were as strong as the romantic chemistry between the actors. With Gerard Butler, an action-movie vet, as the male lead, it was certain that he would do as many of his own stunts as was feasible. Everybody associated with a movie gets very nervous when the movie star decides they’re gonna jump off the building or they’re gonna do those things. Butler did though. "I was smashing into people, running up and down stairs, hitting people, climbing ladders, jumping off roofs. I probably did fourty takes where I jump off a roof and smash on the ground and roll over. But it’s magical when you see it in the movie." Moritz was confident Butler would take to the stunts well because of his professional experience. "Gerry's obviously so well trained in stunts from doing movies like "300". He was really adept at different scenes where we have fights, where he's throwing punches or taking punches," Moritz explained. What was more surprising was that Golden Globe winner Aniston ("Friends") was just as ready, willing, and able as her co-star. "I’ve never really done something that had so much action," says Aniston. "There are a lot of stunts in this movie, between golf carts flying down hills and going into lakes, and between cars crashing and people jumping over walls. Jennifer and Gerry were game to do as much of it as we would allow," says Moritz. "There's nothing better than the actors actually doing it themselves, for us, as audience members to believe it." Aniston ("The Good Girl") recalls the physical challenges wryly. "I was dumped into a trunk. I ran for miles and miles in four-inch Manolos. I got covered in pond scum. Gun shots, car chases, crashes. It was so much fun!" The crowning achievement of all the stunt sequences is the opening scene of a crowded Fourth of July parade, in which Milo is chasing down a bounty target dressed as Uncle Sam: In stilts! "I had the crazy idea of putting Uncle Sam on stilts and Milo chasing him through the streets of New York," says Tennant ("Fools Rush In" & "Fool's Gold"). "That turned into a much bigger stunt sequence than I had ever envisioned. In your head you come up with these things and it’s a funny idea in the room, but you never really think about what the physical production issues are."
What's It All About?
 Former cop Milo Boyd, is now a down on his luck bounty hunter. Until his boss Sid, hands him his dream job. He assigns Milo the task of tracking down his ex-wife and now successful reporter, Nicole Hurly, who it seems, has jumped bail. Nicole has failed to turn up at the appointed time for what should have been a simple court appearance, choosing instead to followup on a hunch she has on a so-called suicide, she suspects is a murder. Milo thinks he is in for an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, he realizes nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The ex's continually try to one-up each other, until they find themselves on the run for their lives. With a hit-man on Nicole's trail it's time to duck for cover. And they thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough! Well, staying alive is going to become a whole lot tougher.
The Verdict
"Gerard Butler seems to be popping up everywhere these days in just about every genre imaginable. It must be said the Scotsman has made a big impression with cinemagoers, starting with his role as The Stranger in 2004's delightful "Dear Frankie". But it is in the rom/com genre he's made his biggest mark starring alongside two time Oscar winner Hilary Swank and EMMY award winner Katherine Heigl. This time round, Butler is partnered with four time Swedish Aftonbladet TV Prize winner Jennifer Aniston, whose last memorable appearance was in the highly entertaining "Marley & Me". "The Bounty Hunter" is one of those film cinemagoers should never take seriously. It's a real no-brainer (and I don't mean that in the worse sense). It's one of those films which only requires you: sit down, settle in and enjoy the ride. I can imagine Butler and Aniston had a lot of fun making "The Bounty Hunter". There's not a lot of chemistry between the two, but what little there is, surfaces at the appropriate moments. Butler's character is a little on the cheeky side (as he was in "The Ugly Truth") while Aniston's, Nicole, is all about the 'business at hand' (solving a murder disguised as a suicide) and escaping from her bitter, bounty hunter ex. Well worth a look at. Expect less: get more. 3 STARS."
The Production Team
Director
Writer
Producer
Original Music
Cinematographer
Film Editor
Casting
Production Design
Set Decoration
Costume Design
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Andy Tennant
Sarah Thorp
Neal H Moritz
George Fenton
Oliver Bokelberg
Troy Takaki
Kathleen Chopin
Jane Musky
Ellen Christiansen
Sophie de Rakoff
Who's Playing Who?
Jennifer Aniston
Gerard Butler
Gio Perez
Joel Marsh
Jason Kolotouros
Matt Malloy
Jason Sudeikis
Adam Rose
Christine Baranski
Dorian Missick
David Costabile
Lynda Gravatt
Peter Greene
Jeff Garlin
Siobhan Hogan
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Nicole Hurley
Milo Boyd
Uncle Sam
Dwight
Gelman
Gary
Stewart
Jimmy
Kitty Hurley
Bobby
Arthur
Judge
Mahler
Sid
Teresa
Run Time 110 minutes
Rated M [AUST]
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