Why 'The Bounty Hunter' Is Back in the Spotlight
Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston’s 2010 action rom-com, once panned for its lack of spark, is making a surprise return to popularity on streaming platforms. What’s behind its unexpected resurgence?
Back in 2010, pairing Gerard Butler—by then known for his tough-guy roles—with Jennifer Aniston, a staple of romantic comedies, seemed like a sure-fire recipe for box office gold. The plan was to blend action and romance in a film directed by Andy Tennant, who’d already made a name for himself with hits like 'Hitch' and 'Sweet Home Alabama'. On paper, it looked like a winner. In practice, things didn’t quite pan out as expected. Sixteen years on, though, the film is having another crack at fame, popping up in the Top 10 on HBO Max.
The story follows Butler as Milo Boyd, a former cop now working as a bounty hunter. He’s handed the job of tracking down his ex-wife, Nicole, played by Aniston, after she skips bail. The setup is reminiscent of 'Fool’s Gold' from 2008, which also paired two big names in a high-stakes chase. But where that film managed to charm some punters, 'The Bounty Hunter' struggled to convince anyone that its leads had any real chemistry. Critics and locals alike weren’t buying it, and the reviews reflected that. Still, with little competition at the box office—'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' was the only other major release at the time—the film managed to turn a $40 million budget into a global haul of $136 million.
Plot and Reception
The official blurb sums it up:
Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, thinks he's seeing an upswing in fortune when he gets a call to bring in his bail-jumping ex-wife, a reporter named Nicole (Jennifer Aniston). Milo considers the job an easy payday, but Nicole quickly escapes to chase a lead on a murder case. The former spouses play an escalating game of one-upmanship, until they suddenly find themselves on the run for their lives.
The film’s reception was less than glowing. It scraped together a 13% score on the Tomatometer and a middling 51% from audiences. Many reviewers couldn’t get past what they called the “zero chemistry” between the stars. Others took the mickey out of the film, labelling it
an actionised rom-com that isn't action packed, contains no believable romance, and isn't particularly funny.
Even the most forgiving viewers only managed to find a few redeeming features, mostly if they were die-hard fans of Butler or Aniston. For most, it was the sort of flick you’d have on in the background while doing something else, with words like “poor”, “amateurish”, and “inferior to so many similar movies” cropping up in reviews.
Box Office and Lasting Appeal
Despite the lukewarm response, the film’s timing worked in its favour. With not much else on offer at the cinema, it managed to draw in enough punters to make a tidy profit. Since then, both leads have gone on to bigger and better things. Butler has carved out a niche in action thrillers, especially with the …Has Fallen series and his more recent work in 'Greenland 2'. Aniston, meanwhile, has stuck to her strengths in comedy and drama, continuing to pull in crowds.
Yet, there’s something about films like 'The Bounty Hunter' that keeps them coming back around. Maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s just the comfort of a familiar face on the telly. Whatever the reason, its recent surge in streaming popularity shows there’s still a spot for these kinds of light, easy-going rom-coms—even if they weren’t exactly critical darlings the first time around.