'Love Happens' grapples with issues of loss, redemption

Despite how commercials and trailers portray it, "Love Happens" is much more of a rom-dram than rom-com.

In fact, Brandon Camp's unexpectedly mature romance is downright sad, for the "love" subplot gets shoved to the end of the issues line after death, loss, guilt, redemption and forgiveness take the limelight.

This is a strong, sincere, even thoughtful drama executed by two lead actors sparkling with charisma, at least for the first hour. Then things get a little shaky.

The fateful moment occurs near the end when "Love Happens" abruptly becomes "Clichés Happen," and all the good will and emotions up to that point implode in a forced and fake scene that feels as if it was imported from some other film.

Aaron Eckhart plays Burke Ryan, a self-help guru who has written a best-seller about dealing with the death of a loved one. His wife died in an car accident three years earlier and his book, intended to be a therapeutic account of his loss, rocketed up the charts.

At a Seattle hotel convention for fans of his book, Burke bumps into a modern-day flower girl in the hallway. Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston) thinks he's moving in on her and dusts him off by pretending to be deaf.

He's not happy when he discovers the truth, and their verbal confrontation in a restroom puts them on the path to true, conditional love.

Eloise gets one friend to talk to, Marty (Judy Greer), who works at her florist shop.

Burke also gets one friend to talk to, Lane (Dan Fogler), his agent anxious to set up syndication deals and promotional spin offs of Burke's book.

Meanwhile, Burke's father-in-law (Martin Sheen) shows up at a book signing and viscerally shakes up the author and calls him "Hypocrite!"

In most rom-coms, Burke would turn out to be a con man who uses his wife's death as a gimmick to gain fame, fortune and vulnerable women, until he meets his match.

"Love Happens" sidesteps all that with a sincere character who really does want to help people - his grief-stricken fans - and start a new life with Eloise.

So what's stopping him?

Eckhart, a truly engaging actor, portrays Burke with just enough reserve to suggest he's hiding something, while appearing to be open and honest in his public persona.

Ever since her sitcom "Friends" went off the air, Aniston has added impressive, challenging roles to her resume, including Eloise, imbued with strength and patience that only life experience can render.

There is one more truly moving performance in "Love Happens."

John Carroll Lynch (the police chief's stamp-designing husband in "Fargo") plays a contractor named Walter. He has come to Burke's seminar reluctantly. He lost his 12-year-old son during a construction site accident and has since also lost his career, marriage, money and sense of self.

During one of Burke's sharing sessions, Walter talks about his boy's death. His sadness, his rage and his emptiness flood the room with pain and grief on a plateau way too real for a Hollywood movie.

If only "Love Happens" could have ended on such a moment as this.

But we all know what else "happens," don't we?

<p class="News">"Love Happens"</p> <p class="News">Two and a half stars</p> <p class="News"><b>Starring:</b> Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Martin Sheen, Judy Greer</p> <p class="News"><b>Directed by: </b>Brandon Camp</p> <p class="News"><b>Other:</b> A Universal Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for language. 104 minutes</p>