Main Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy, Christian Kane, David Moscow, Monet Mazur
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Can a new marriage survive meddling friends, disapproving families, and some of the worst accommodations in Europe? That's the question posed in this broad comedy. Tom Leezak (Ashton Kutcher) is a regular guy who likes sports and beer and tries to make ends meet working as a nighttime radio traffic reporter. Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) is a beautiful young woman from a wealthy and privileged family who is trying to make a name for herself as a writer. Tom and Sarah have seemingly nothing in common, but that doesn't stop them from falling in love. Sarah's family doesn't much care for Tom's boorish ways, and Tom's buddies think Sarah is too highbrow for him, but, if anything, this makes the couple all the more determined to be together, and they decide to get married and head off to Italy for a month-long honeymoon despite the pleas of those closest to them. However, even after the knot is tied, Sarah's former beau, Peter Prentiss (Christian Kane), is dead set upon breaking up the happy couple, though as it turns out, a seemingly endless stream of bad luck and post-marital jitters may do the job for him. Just Married was written by Sam Harper, who claims to have loosely based the script on his own experiences on an ill-starred European honeymoon with his wife; fortunately, the couple's marriage survived the experience. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Just Married would be indistinguishable from a dozen other Ashton Kutcher vehicles if it weren't for Brittany Murphy goosing it with nutty energy. Murphy rarely gets the credit she deserves for her googly eyes and expert pratfalls, which make her as much an heir apparent to Lucille Ball as any comic actress working today; however, it's not enough to elevate Just Married above a predictable comedy of errors set against a European backdrop. The film makes a structural misstep by opening near the end of the story with the newlyweds angrily poking and tripping each other as they weave toward baggage claim, more like elementary school kids than adults returning from an albeit disastrous honeymoon. When the actual calamities of their trip unfold and don't measure up to that level of exaggerated behavior, it leaves a bad taste. It's as though screenwriter Sam Harper made the wrong parts of the script wacky. He avoids the pitfalls of films like Eurotrip and National Lampoon's European Vacation --- it's asking for trouble to send a script through each European nation only to spoof its locals and customs. But he's weak at a more ambitious task, writing funny scenes that don't rely on ethnic stereotyping. Too bad, because Murphy and even Kutcher prove themselves capable, notably during a scene of gonzo panic as a cockroach the size of a fist crawls along Kutcher's neck. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Tom Leezak (Ashton Kutcher) and Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) meet up when Tom accidentally hits Sarah with a football. A few months later, despite opposition from Sarah's rich, uptight family they get married. However they each have a secret that they want to keep from each other: Tom doesn't want Sarah to know that he accidentally killed her dog and Sarah doesn't want Tom to know she slept with Peter Prentiss. Tom and Sarah decide to honeymoon at a classy hotel at the foot of the alps. On their way there they attempt to join the mile high club, but fail when the captain turns on the fasten seat belt sign and they are forced to go back to their seats.
They arrive at the hotel and discover that Tom's friend Kyle left them a present: the Thunderstick A-2000, which is a sex toy. Tom tries to plug the toy in the socket, but the plug isn't built for a European outlet and he shuts down the entire village's electricity when he tries to force it in. The newlyweds leave the hotel after Tom has a heated argument with the hotel owner. While trying to find another hotel they crash and get buried under a heap of snow, but they are able to climb out in the morning. Eventually they get a ride from a truck driver and end up staying at a pensione in Venice. The pensione turns out to be very bad and they soon check out after Tom discovers a cockroach on his neck while the couple are making love.
The couple manage to secure a nice hotel with the financial help of Sarah's father, who demands that Tom pay the money back as soon as he can. The next day they go sightseeing in Venice, but Tom quickly gets bored and the couple decide to split up for the day: Tom going to the bar to watch sports and his wife continuing to see Venice. Sarah realizes that Peter is staying at her hotel. This prompts her to initiate a conversation with Tom where he reveals that he accidentally killed her dog and she reveals she slept with Peter Prentiss. The couple storm out of the hotel and each go their separate ways: Tom going to the bar, where he meets a girl, and Sarah going sightseeing again, where she meets Peter. The girl begins to flirt with Tom and the two end up dancing. When Tom realizes she wants to have sex with him, he makes an excuse and escapes through the toilet window. He goes back to the hotel, only to find out that Sarah is with Peter. This prompts him to go back to the bar, where he meets the girl again, and this time agrees to have sex with her. However, Tom begins to have second thoughts and reveals that he's married when they're in the bedroom, making the girl leave. Peter convinces Sarah to go with him for a drink, promising her a ride home. He eventually takes her home and kisses her, but she slaps him and tells him that she's on her honeymoon. Tom sees the kiss but does not see her slap him and assumes that Sarah is having a relationship with Peter. This prompts him to initiate an argument with Sarah, during which she finds a bra that the girl who Peter was with left behind. Sarah throws an ashtray at Tom, hitting him in the head, and making him act crazy. Peter bursts in the room and begs Sarah to run away with him to Seattle. Tom equips himself with a fire poker and starts shouting at Peter, breaking things in the process. Peter runs away from the scene, asking the maître d' to call the police. He eventually runs out of the hotel where Tom gets arrested, and he and Sarah end up in a prison cell. Peter bails them out and this time the couple, angry at each other, decide to go home to Los Angeles for marriage.
The film switches to the present, where Sarah has moved out and Tom wants to get back with her. Upon receiving advice from his father, Tom attempts to break into Sarah's family's household to tell her that he loves her, but gives up after unsuccessfully trying to ram the gate with a german shepherd blocking the front gate. However Sarah opens the gate after seeing Tom make a romantic speech to the camera and the two rush out to proclaim their love for each other. The film ends with the couple recounting events from the honeymoon and Sarah's family finally approving of their marriage & people from town knowing everything about it. There is also the chance for some interviews after the marriage has been confirmed by the priest who married Tom & Sarah.
Just Married was released to mostly negative reviews with a score of 20% from Rotten Tomatoes[1]. It received one and a half stars from Allmovie[2], two out of five stars from MSN Movies[3] and 28 from Metacritic[4].
Box Office
The movie was very successful at the box office, on a budget of $18 million, the movie went on to gross $56,127,162 in the domestically and went on to earn a further $45,437,773 from the world wide box office giving it a total gross of $101,564,935[5].
