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BY ALICIA POTTER
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Nigel Cole’s formulaic romantic comedy kicks off with a meet-cute scenario that seems a lot like assault and battery. Volatile punker Emily (Amanda Peet) trails dorky dreamer Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) into an airplane rest room and jumps his bones. He wants to be friends, she wants to spew barbed repartee, and the two part — only to bump into each other in New York City. On to seven When Harry Met Sally–esque years of banter, drunken hook-ups, and changing hairstyles during which predictable circumstance and folly thwart a relationship. Peet and Kutcher parlay their toothy prettiness into goofball charm (she sticks straws up her nose! he talks with a mouthful of Cheetos!), and they share an affable chemistry. But the story is tedious and far-fetched. In a Sleepless in Seattle twist, the two curse the miles that separate Los Angeles from . . . San Francisco. A Lot like Love offers no fresh insights on the mating game, and its biggest accomplishment may be that it does feel seven years long. One wishes that director Cole (Calendar Girls) had taken to heart Emily’s advice to Oliver: "Stop. You’ll ruin it." (97 minutes)
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