My Boss's Daughter

The latest Ashton Kutcher vehicle to hit the big screen relies on the old standby of misunderstanding to land the goodhearted but always overlooked lead character into a mess of trouble--at which point, of course, the laughs are supposed to ensue. Thinking that he has accepted a date with his dream girl Lisa (Tara Reid), Tom (Kutcher) inadvertently agrees to housesit for her domineering, clean-freak father (Terence Stamp), who also happens to be Tom's boss. Relying on Kutcher's trademark ability to bumble his way through the challenges of physical comedy, the slapsticky plot plods along, having poor Tom confront a throng of eccentric visitors threatening to damage his boss' pristine home at the same time as he is attempting to woo the seemingly unattainable Lisa.

Every comedic convention, from the sitcom scenario of having Tom romance Lisa in an upstairs room while attempting damage control downstairs to the cheap, gross-out humor of bloody and rash-infected body parts, falls completely flat in "My Boss's Daughter." Subplots involving an escaped pet owl, a disgruntled former employee and a black-sheep brother being chased by an insane drug dealer do nothing to regain lost laughs, and, even more shamefully, waste the efforts of the solid talent represented by such supporting cast members as Andy Richter and Molly Shannon.

Making matters worse is the non-existent chemistry between Tom and Lisa, played by Reid with her usual blonde, wide-eyed abandon. As a movie totally absent of both humor and sexual tension, the only laughing matter in "My Boss's Daughter" is its classification as a romantic comedy. Starring Ashton Kutcher, Tara Reid, Terence Stamp, Molly Shannon and Andy Richter. Directed by David Zucker. Written by David Dorfman. Produced by John L. Jacobs and Gil Netter. A Miramax release. Comedy/Romance. Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, drug content and language. Running time: 81 min