Genre: Drama
Director: David Hollander
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Kutcher, Kathy Bates, Brian Markinson, Rob LaBelle, David Lewis, Spencer Hudson, John Mann
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Some violence and coarse language)
Official Website:

Opening Day: 30 July 2009

Synopsis:

Seeking vengeance for the murder of his sister, a young man, Walter (Ashton Kutcher) arrives in town only to get sidetracked by a beautiful older woman, Linda (Michelle Pfeifer) with emotional wounds very similar to his own. As both Linda and Walter try to cope with the pain and frustration of their loss, the two bond -- their shared tragedies spawning an unlikely and beautiful romance.

For Linda, Walter is soon more than just a companion. He becomes a mentor to her troubled son, a fatherless boy who cannot come to grips with his dad's death. That is until he finds solace in Walter the only offering a better way to channel pent up fury.

Movie Review:

Known for movies like Dude Where’s My Car and A Lot Like Love and on television, the comedy That 70’s Show and the hit series, Punk’d. It is not often then that one finds Ashton Kutcher in a drama safe for The Butterfly Effect or The Guardian. Personal Effects feels like a welcome departure considering he also has another drama lined up for the year, Spread. This is probably going to be one of Kutcher’s lesser seen works but it could probably be his best acting gig thus far.

Personal Effects is about Walter (Ashton Kutcher), an up and rising wrestler for the national team who needs to put his career on hold when he returns to his hometown after the brutal murder of his twin sister. He has no choice but to take up a dead-end job to help his mother (Kathy Bates) cope with the ordeal as she undergoes therapy. At therapy, he meets a widow, Linda (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is undergoing therapy after her husband was killed. As the both of them attend their respective trials, they get involved in a love affair and the outcome of one the trials affects their relationship.

The love affair between Walter and Linda is somewhat parallel to that of the Korean movie, April Snow but the comparisons end there as it feels that this movie touches base closer to home. It seems that Ashton Kutcher can be considered as “cougar” prey, considering he is happily married to the much-older Demi Moore and here he is romancing yet another much-older woman in this outing. Either that or Kutcher has a thing for MILFs.

First-time movie director, David Hollander, who also assumes writing duties here, has chosen a pretty strong ensemble cast who all do a decent job but even the likes of Kathy Bates and Michelle Pfeiffer cannot save this production which seems more suited for a straight-to-DVD release or a tele-movie. The movie which is based on a short story by Rick Moody feels like a movie that is far too long despite its what should be a manageable 110 minutes. Hollander, who has been doing more TV work could have probably hastened the speed of the movie by avoiding having slow motion scenes for unnecessary moments. Also, the overall feel of the movie is one that is dreary and boring, leaving the audience feeling less than sympathetic for the two leads who are searching for closure in their lives.

It’s a bit of a surprise the likes of these actors would choose to be in a movie like this that will not surprisingly, pass us by at the cinemas very quickly. If you really want to catch this, I would suggest renting it when it comes out on DVD and spend a weekend afternoon with your partner watching it.

Movie Rating:

(A dreary and slow moving affair that may work better on the television)

Review by Mohamad Shaifulbahri