The Bounty Hunter

A fun role, no doubt, & sharing the screen with Jennifer Aniston must have made it that much more fun. As investigative reporter Nicole Hurley, Aniston holds her own in the crime story while showing off how nice 41 can look in a tight suit. Now that is a 21st-century heroine.

Scottish actor Gerard Butler has played the action hero ("300") & the hunky heartthrob ("The Phantom of the Opera"). Now he gets to be a bit of both in the romantic comedy "The Bounty Hunter."

Butler plays Milo Boyd, a onetime hotshot police detective who was fired, presumably for some secret noble reason that has nothing to do with his $11,000 in betting debts. When his ex-wife misses a court date to follow a lead on a story, Milo is called in: $5,000 to deliver her to the police.

As formula films go, "The Bounty Hunter" is more enjoyable than most, even if it packs in as lots of cliches as any. It is certainly a career highlight for director Andy Tennant ("Sweet Home Alabama," "Hitch"). & even if it won't be at the top of Aniston's resume, it is a perfectly enjoyable way to kill a couple of hours.

He makes the most of a visit to Nicole's home, dunking her toothbrush in the toilet & erasing her TiVo queue. Ooh, that guy is angry at her. They must secretly still love each other. You know, because it is a movie.