Spread – Review

When I think of Ashton Kutcher three things spring to mind: 1) He was kind of cool in That 70’s Show; 2) It was classic when he Punk’d Justin Timberlake; 3) He is married to “Brat Pack” star Demi Moore. In short, I really don’t think much of his acting abilities. I went into this film with very low expectations, and came out really surprised by what transpired. The guy proves he can act and is not just a pretty face.

Living in the money sucking vacuum known as Hollywood can be tough, but Nikki (Kutcher) seems to have it made. He has found a stimulating loophole in the dating game, hit the night life and find a sugar momma to take care of his financial woes. Using his boyish good looks and charm, he smoothly talks them into going back to their pad for a little, “She bangs, she bangs”, and before you know these satisfied women are giving him a place to live, lots of sex and an all access pass for fun. Our Don Juan hits pay dirt when he meets a hot lawyer named Samantha (Anne Heche), who takes him back to her million dollar home in the hills.

One day while visiting a local diner, Nikki meets a gorgeous waitress named Heather (Margarita Levieva), who doesn’t fall for his suave ways-which is something he is not used to. She eventually agrees to visit him at Samantha’s house thinking that it is his place because she has her own agenda, she is the female version of him. He makes the mistake of getting caught cheating with an old squeeze and is kicked to the curb by Samantha. With nowhere to go Nikki puts his attention toward Heather. They form a bond while trying to outdo each other in the scam department, and over time fall madly in love. Sadly, she is already engaged to a wealthy man in New York. So Nikki heads to the Big Apple to try and win Heather back, but she has already made a choice that will affect three lives forever.

Thematically there is nothing new here but the storyline is given a fresh, adult-oriented spin. The hustle and bustle environment of Los Angeles is captured accurately throughout. Kutcher takes advantage of the role to really spread his thespian wings.

I was not expecting much from this little indie release from Anchor Bay. It’s a solid effort that proves you can’t judge a film by its glossy poster.

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