Cinema: KILLERS (12A) (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cinema: KILLERS (12A)

12:38pm Friday 18th June 2010

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DESPITE its title this is an easy viewing by numbers rom-com.

Having only recently been dumped by her boyfriend, Jen (Katherine Heigl) rather rashly decides to go on holiday with her parents (Tom Selleck and Catherine O’Hara).

Once on the plane bound for Nice her control freak Dad is most concerned she memorises that 13D is the nearest exit door, while her mother orders three glasses of wine, which her husband and daughter decline and she drinks.

Once at the hotel Dad kicks up a fuss about the rooms and Jen retreats to the lift where she encounters hunky Spencer (Ashton Kutcher), wearing very little. From this moment on the pair become inseparable.

Spencer is entranced by Jen’s beauty and normalness, and tells her he is a "company consultant", which is more than your average white lie.

One night he attempts to tell her the truth about his real job, but she nods off and so misses the bit about him being a CIA spy with a licence to kill – we already know this because he wears black gloves in the blazing sun.

Three years of married suburban bliss pass, but Jen is still unaware of Spencer’s past.

He loves the quite life, so when he gets a called from his old boss to return to duty he chooses to ignore it.

But the spy business is difficult to shake off and he hasn’t taken into account the 20 million dollar bounty on his head for his insubordination.

Soon Jen demands answers, while mayhem ensues and he realises it is more about "who isn’t trying to kill me?" than who is.

This story is totally held together by its stars. Kutcher and Heigl are adorable and exude chemistry. His is a mixture of Adonis and Labrador puppy, whereas she is gorgeous as the clever but ditzy blond, while still managing not to be irritating.

They both have an amazing gift for comedy and their timing is brilliant. O’Hara is also a treat as mum, who is never without a drink in her hand, but still manages to stay upright.

Selleck’s character is hardly endearing, but in this surprisingly cutesy story it’s what is needed. All these characters are well established within the first 15 minutes; unfortunately the rest of the cast are frightfully weak and the story a muddle.

Director Robert Luketic who has gone from his fun Legally Blonde (2001) to the very disappointing The Ugly Truth (2009) has landed somewhere between the two here. But it’s a good dating film as there is plenty of action for the boys and the girls have Kutcher.

6/10

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