Killers

I had no interest in seeing it when it hit theaters, and I had no interest in seeing it when it came out on DVD, but against my better judgment, I watched the 2010 film Killers with my family, and I have nobody to blame but myself for wasting ninety minutes which I'll never get back.

The gist of the film involves a woman named Jennifer, vacationing in France with her parents to move forward from a bad breakup, where she meets Spencer, who is, unbeknownst to Jennifer, a CIA assassin.  They fall in love and Spencer leaves his job for a new life with Jennifer.  Three years later, comfortably settled in their life, Spencer's past comes back to haunt him when he discovers a bounty has been put on his head, and everybody (particularly his neighbors and perceived friends) is after him.

Well, where to begin with my beef about this film?  For starters, the script.  The plot is fine, but the way the story unfolds is borderline ridiculous.  It's one thing to feature characters who turn out to be sleeper agents, but to the extent Killers goes with some of these characters, it becomes absurd.  Also, the reaction from the character of Jennifer to her husband's secret life doesn't help; it's just plain silly!

The fact Ashton Kutcher plays the role of Spencer makes the film worse.  He has comic talent, sure, but he's playing a CIA assassin; he does not come across as believable at all.  Katherine Heigl has some funny moments as Jennifer, but more silly moments sadly.  The bright spots in Killers are Jennifer's parents, played by Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara.  Their performances are hilarious, making it a shame the script was so lousy in the first place.

I give this film one and a half (of four) stars.