Kutcher comedy 'A Lot Like' lame

I had certain hopes going into "A Lot Like Love" and I thought that they were at least somewhat reasonable. I looked forward to the possibility that it would be cute and funny with an endearing enough plot that it might join the ranks of worthwhile romantic comedies, at least as a temporary, fringe member of the group. After all, it does combine story elements from "When Harry Met Sally" and features Ashton Kutcher -- who I am fond of in spite of many things. \n"A Lot Like Love" is the story of how Oliver Martin (Ashton Kutcher) and Emily Friehl (Amanda Peet) come briefly in and out of each other's lives several times over a 6-year period, as they head toward the realization that they are be meant to be together.\nThe story begins with Oliver being unexpectedly joined in an airplane bathroom by a stranger. The stranger is, of course, Emily. After their encounter in the skies, Oliver wants to get to know Emily, but she insists that it was a one-time thing. Obviously, she could not be more wrong. In the years that follow, Oliver attempts to transform himself from the dork he starts out as into an attractive, successful businessman. Emily works on subduing her many personal problems and vices. Fate and mutual desperation bring them back to each other from time to time for more awkward "friends with benefits" experiences. \nAs a romance, the movie's main failure is that the relationship between Oliver and Emily just isn't inspiring. You just never get the sense that they are really match each other. As Oliver ages into a more confident man it is hard to see why he still carries a torch for Emily. Although Emily's dress style changes over the years, she always seems to be a strung-out wreck. Then again, Amanda Peet always seems this way to me, and I thought it was a bad move to cast her as Kutcher's love interest. \nThere are some good things about the movie: the undeniably adorable scene in which Oliver serenades Emily in an attempt to win her heart, the late '90s pop radio songs that really take you back and several genuinely funny moments. Still, the plot feels cluttered. It tries to be a love story and a story about trying to find what you are meant to do with your adult life at the same time. The dialogue is an attempt at cleverness but comes off as contrived, and the little twists of the plot aren't surprising or as significant as the characters make them out to be. "A Lot Like Love" is a disappointment -- too awkward and flat to be a good date movie and not funny enough to see as a comedy.