Spread [2009]

Ashton Kutcher is surprisingly believable in this uneven, but not completely uninteresting movie about a homeless and careless womanizer who uses his physical good looks to prey on the wealthy single women of Los Angeles. For him, his life is that of a classic dreamer, and with his kind of aestethics, he could be living the life straight out of a Van Halen music video with hot cars, plenty of cash, and more women to spend the rest of his days with. Eventually, he meets a woman he actually likes, which causes several problems. But the main issue here is that Kutcher’s character is essentially a jerk with no real ambitions. With no life skills to offer except the ability to pleasure women, you know where the movie’s heading. So I guess this is all about the journey, and not the destination. And the sooner you realise that, the more you’ll enjoy this entertaining B movie. Kutcher looks comfortable in his role, a slacker in life, yet clueless at what to do when he meets the real woman of his desire. I’ve never seen him in such a role before, so I guess in a way, it was nice to see him in something completely different for once. But I do have to confess that I entered this movie with basically low expectations. I thought it would not be worth my while. Yet it became crystal clear only halfway through that this was a lot better than originally anticipated. And because of that, I cannot entirely dismiss “Spread”, although the ending felt as empty as Kutcher’s character. But the film as a whole works for the most parts, and it managed to convey what it is trying to say in a way that isn’t dull and repetitive. It’s certainly no masterpiece, but I still had a good time watching it. Judge for yourself.

Rating: 2.5/4