Just Married (2003)

"Ditches the expected route and comes out surprisingly original and endearing.  Ricardo Baca, Denver Post

Editor's Note Juggling slapstick comedy with witty dialogue and youthful romance, JUST MARRIED provides an entertaining and optimistic glimpse at young relationships and the struggle to stay in love in a world where everything goes wrong. A chance encounter on a beach brings Tom (Ashton Kutcher, DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?) and Sarah (Brittany Murphy, 8 MILE) into each other's lives. They quickly fall in love and agree to get married. Although Sarah's wealthy family does not approve of their daughter's fiancé, Tom and Sarah believe they can sustain themselves on love, and so they take the matrimonial plunge. As soon as they are married, however, things start to unravel--first in their newlywed suite, next on the airplane to their honeymoon in Italy, then in the five-star Hotel Du Rêve in France. Pretty soon the couple is living out a hellish version of Murphy's Law, and divorce begins to look hilariously ominous. When Sarah's old flame shows up at their hotel in Venice to cause further trouble, Tom responds with a jealous outburst that lands the newlyweds in jail. Tom and Sarah survive their misadventures long enough to face the ultimate test of their marriage vows, when each reveals a secret that threatens to spoil their relationship entirely.

	Ashton Kutcher
	Brittany Murphy
	Christian Kane
	David Moscow
	David Rasche
	Monet Mazur
	Jonathan Brown - Cinematographer
	Shawn Levy - Director
	Scott Hill - Editor
	Don Zimmerman - Editor
	Robert Simonds - Producer
	Sam Harper - Writer

Entertainment Weekly
"...[Kutcher] carries himself with a blitzed air of proprietary glee, as if he were the class clown on spring break....Murphy, playing straight woman to these antics, proves unexpectedly charming..." 01/17/2003 p.54

Los Angeles Times
"...Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy are attractive and skilled performers as the film's newlyweds..." 01/10/2003 p.C10

Chicago Sun-Times 4 of 10
Sarah and Tom have nothing to talk about. They are a pathetic stupid couple and deserve each other. What they do not deserve, perhaps, is a screenplay that alternates between motivation and slapstick. Either it's character-driven or it isn't. If it is, then you can't take your plausible characters and dump them into Laurel and Hardy. Their rental car, for example, gets a cheap laugh, but makes them seem silly in the wrong way. And earlier in the film, Tom is responsible for the death of Sarah's dog in a scenario recycled directly from an urban legend everyone has heard. - Roger Ebert

L.A. Times 5 of 10
Just Married is of interest only as a product of such generic blandness as to be absolutely airtight: not a whiff of originality or real life has been allowed to spoil its plastic perfection. Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy are attractive and skilled performers as the film's newlyweds, but the movie is so mechanical it's like watching Barbie and Ken dolls going through the motions. - Kevin Thomas

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 5 of 10
Just Married works better when it's being semi-serious than when it's in "comedy" mode. The romance, although half-baked, isn't half bad. Especially during the "getting to know you" first half hour, Tom and Sarah share a few nice moments. Then the sweetness turns bitter. When it comes to the humor, Just Married reeks of desperation. The movie tries too hard to be funny, and, because nearly every gag is predictable, ineptly set up, and mechanically executed, even the best of the jokes has trouble eliciting more than a feeble chuckle. Murphy in particular deserves better, but at least she got a boyfriend and a paycheck out of the deal. No such benefits await those who sacrifice both cash and time to see this movie. - James Berardinelli