Love' is hate worthy

We've all heard the saying "s--t happens," and after watching the clichéd "Love Happens," it's clear that the saying is true. A second-rate film that attempts to differentiate itself from run-of-the-mill Hollywood productions, "Love Happens" begins with potential but fizzles into disappointing confusion.
    "Love Happens" stars Burke (Aaron Eckhart), a famous author of a self-help book who leads a touring seminar for people who have suffered the death of loved ones. At one of these seminars, he meets Eloise, (Jennifer Aniston),  who is a florist working in the sponsoring hotel. Though he is still coping with the death of his wife, Burke is forced to confront the scars of his past and open himself up to love again.
    At first, "Love Happens" appears to be just another boy-meets-girl flick, but with some promise. Cinematographically interesting title credits are followed by dryly comedic scenes with well-established characters and conflicts. Burke's hypocrisy as he tosses back drinks before stepping on stage to tell seminar attendees "alcohol is a mask" intrigues viewers, who hope for an exploration of his character as the plot unfolds. The emotional backdrop of dealing with the death of loved ones provides for some powerful minor characters, including Walter (John Caroll Lynch), who is battling internal demons created by his son's death.
    However, for this movie, it's the title, not the alcohol, that's the mask.
    As "Love Happens" unfolds, it is as if writer/director Brandon Camp was suddenly struck by the possibility of creating an emotional drama instead of a romantic comedy halfway through shooting the film and decided, "Let's do it!" This wouldn't have been so bad if Eckhart's lackluster presentation of a tortured soul didn't pale in comparison to Lynch's touching performance.
    After the film deviates from its initial progression, Burke's confrontation with the memory of his wife is increasingly front and center. His emotional turmoil proceeds to drag out over the next hour, overshadowing the plot's other elements. Even Aniston, with her all-American cuteness, can't save the film from being one long requiem for Burke's marriage. For example, the first date between Burke and Eloise is dominated by Burke's awkwardness about dating for the first time since his wife's death, instead of establishing a chemistry that allow the couple's subsequent love interest to ignite.
    The rest of the duo's interactions are nothing more than that: interactions. As their romance is supposedly blossoming, Burke and Eloise's ‘chemistry' just becomes more confusing as the audience is constantly reminded of how brokenhearted Burke is. After 80 minutes, the audience is still wondering when love is actually going to happen.
    Eckhart's formulaic acting aside, "Love Happens" fails both as a romantic comedy and as an emotional drama. Whenever Burke takes a sentimental moment to share his struggle, the scenes are comically awkward and destroy any possibility for Eckhart to give more than a mediocre performance. Other non-constructive sub-plots are edited in arbitrarily for ill-timed comic relief, further shooting the film in the foot. Moreover, the film's clichéd origins keep reminding audiences that they signed up for a romantic comedy, not drama.
    If viewers haven't already left the theater with a headache, the plot may re-engage the audience after the typical "boy-girl fight," as each character conflict comes to a climax after an unexpected revelation. But again, the plot cannot decide which theme to develop and a misplaced and corny bond between Burke and his father-in-law (Martin Sheen) leaves the audience groaning again. In the end, the film stays true to its romantic comedy roots as Burke and Eloise finally get together.
    "Love Happens" suffers greatly from an identity crisis, quickly squandering what potential it had by meandering through myriad themes and conflicts. Mediocre acting and bad editing don't help, either. If the previews made the film seem like a flop, that's because it is.