As a romance story, Love Happens is nothing special, with the spark between Eckhart and Aniston almost non-existent. But as a drama about grief, it's much more interesting, though the blend of both does not always sit easily.

I did watch this movie with low expectations, and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. Admittedly there is nothing groundbreaking or spectacular about Love Happens, but really it is a nice film. My only real problems with the film were some pointless scenes like Burke's meeting with Eloise's mother, the dialogue in that scene felt somewhat forced, and the script was a little on the weak side. But I still really liked it, it had a nice premise and does an in general above decent job. The story is very sweet and touching, and there were some effective scenes primarily Burke's talk on the accident that killed his wife and the reconciliation with his father-in-law(I do admit I cried here). There isn't anything laugh-out-loud funny, as the film has a rather sweet and poignant tone to it, but Rocky the cute bird made me laugh and Dan Fogler and Judy Greer were amusing as Lane and Marty. Love Happens is visually striking, with beautiful Seattle scenery and imaginative close ups. The soundtrack was also very nice and set the tone of the film well. The acting was very good, with Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston both convincing as Burke and Eloise and Martin Sheen making a memorable cameo as Burke's father-in-law. Overall, there is nothing groundbreaking here but I liked it, and so did my brother and he doesn't usually like this sort of film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Burke (Aaron Eckhart) is a successful self help guru dealing with the lost of his wife in a car accident. He has come to Seattle for a group seminar for people dealing with their own lost. Florist Eloise (Jennifer Aniston) literally runs into him in his hotel. He tries to ask her out but she pretends to be deaf.

As a romance, it fails. Both Aaron and Jennifer are likable actors but they just don't have the chemistry. Add to it the tough subject matter, it's too hard of a place for romance to blossom. As a character growth movie, it had some moments. Aaron is playing a character going thru some tough stuff. But then he does a silly thing like stealing a bird. It just feels stupid to have comedy there.