David Mackenzie
Ashton Kutcher acolytes, rejoice. The star of sitcom That ’70s Show (1998-2006) seems to be better known these days for being a Twitter celebrity and being married to Demi Moore.
So this film would be seen as a treat for his fans as he preens about as a beautiful boy in Los Angeles who uses his looks and charms to get into the beds and homes of rich lonely women.
For everyone else, the film actually gets off to a decent start as the self-aware and narcissistic Nikki (Kutcher) narrates the tale of how he reeled in his latest catch, Samantha (Heche in an underwritten role).
The potential for a scathing black comedy falls apart though when Nikki has a change of heart and falls in love with a waitress, Heather (the pretty but bland Margarita Levieva).
While Kutcher is fine as a shallow Lothario, he cannot muster the acting chops needed when the script wanders off unconvincingly into romantic drama territory. A pity that Spread did not have the courage to follow through on the conviction of its initial cynicism.
(ST)