(Dude, seriously, just fucking tell her the truth already…)
CAST: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Bailee Madison, Nick Swardson, Michael Gluck, And A Special Surprise Cameo From A Certain A List Actress Who Looks A Lot Like Nicole Kidman Ahem.
DIRECTOR: Dennis Duggan
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some damn good reasons to always tell the truth when trying to bag hot chicks (yeah, right) - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: Playboy plastic surgeon Danny Maccabbee (Adam Sandler) has come up with a brilliant way to get hot chicks to sleep with him: wear a wedding band and pretend he’s married. Before your noggin spins round-and-round on your shoulders in confusion, allow me to explain: Danny goes to clubs with said wedding band prominently displayed on his hand, then sits around in a corner moping and crying in his Amstel Light or whatever single marauding douchebags drink. This, apparently, attracts the attentions of hot chicks who seem more than willing to listen to Danny’s fictional marital woes - and even more willing to fuck his brains out to make him feel better. No fuss, no mess, no prob. I should point out that this has only a chance in hell of working if you: (1) are as cute as Adam Sandler; (2) are as funny as Adam Sandler; or (3) are Adam Sandler. If you look like, say, Joe Pesci… well, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Sorry, Joe. Just being honest here. Which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for our boy Danny. Meow.
Anyhow, Danny’s ploy backfires one day when he meets the delectable Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) - and promptly falls in love with her. Unfortunately, she inadvertently finds the prop wedding band in his jeans during a stroll on the beach - and thinks he’s a scumbag philanderer (as opposed to just a single marauding douchebag who, you know, uses a prop wedding band to con women into bed - details, details). Not wanting to lose her because he, you know, loves her, Danny tells Palmer that he’s getting a “divorce”. Palmer demands to meet his soon-to-be ex to make sure Danny is telling her the truth. Well, let’s just say the truth becomes more and more relative as this movie goes forward.
Enter Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), Danny’s long-time medical assistant and dedicated pal, who somehow agrees to play his “wife”. Unfortunately, this act of graciousness (or maybe she just wants to be a front-row witness to the inevitable train wreck) snowballs into something even more fucked-up when Katherine’s kids (Bailee Madison, Michael Gluck) get pulled into the con game, as well. Well, as far as Palmer is concerned, they are Katherine and Danny’s kids. Dan, Kat, and the kiddies now have to play “happy-but-about-to-be-divorced” family in order for Dan to successfully bag Palmer. And I thought Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds had problems in THE PROPOSAL. That was a walk in the park on a sunny summer day compared to this shit….
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Danny - when he finally decides to man up and tell the truth.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: Adam and Jen, who make a surprisingly photogenic couple. Great chemistry, too…
MOST INTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS SCENE: When Danny, Katherine, Palmer, and the rest of the circus go to Hawaii for “family trip” - and Katherine runs into old college nemesis Devlin (A Cameo From A Certain A-List Actress Who Looks A Lot Like Nicole Kidman Ahem). Katherine and Devlin engage in what can only be desribed as “The Most Fucked-Up Hula Dance-Off Ever”.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS SCENE: Katherine posing as Danny’s soon-to-be-ex - and meeting Palmer for the first time. Awkward…
HOTTEST SCENE: Katherine sashaying into the hotel to meet Palmer and Danny, looking like a million bucks - right after Danny questioned her, ahem, “hotness”. Go, Kat…
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: How long can this colossally jaw-dropping deception/charade go on? Will Palmer eventually find out that Danny and Katherine are just friends and not a soon-to-be-divorced married couple? Who will blow the whistle on them? The kids? Danny’s goofy pal Eddie (Nick Swardson)? Devlin? Or someone else? Is Palmer even worth all this trouble? Or is Danny’s true soulmate the one who’s been next to him all these years: Katherine? If so, how will they realize they are perfect for each other? And how will Palmer react? Goddamn, this is giving me a headache and I’m not even in the movie. Dude, Danny, seriously… hire a hooker next time like Richard Gere did in PRETTY WOMAN. No mess, no fuss, no prob.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “JUST GO WITH IT”: If you like Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, who make a very sexy and compatible couple in this flick. And if you like comedies where the leads make stupid decision that just snowball and snowball and snowball until they can practically snowboard down the slope of their mistakes.
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “JUST GO WITH IT”: If you can’t stand Adam or Jen or comedies with romantic dilemmas that could be easily solved if the characters would just be honest with each other for five minutes.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In past reviews, we’ve talked about that nebulous, elusive thing called “chemistry”. We’ve talked about how vital it is to movies, and how it can sometimes make, break, or even just save a film. While the right kind of chemistry between performers is important for all genres, it is especially crucial for Romantic Comedies. Think about it… in thrillers and horror films, even if you have weak chemistry between the leads, if you succeed in the thrills and suspense department, you’ve won the battle. Same with action/adventure films: as long as you deliver dazzling action that hooks the audience, lack of chemistry between the protagonists may not matter as much.
In Romantic Comedies, however, your leading players have nothing to hide behind. The success of the film rests on how compelling their connection is. If it is tepid, lukewarm, or - even worse - nonexistent, then your film is dead in the water. Think of your favorite Rom-Coms - chances are, you love them because of the chemistry between the leads, which translated into a great movie. Romantic Comedy classics and semi-classics like WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, ANNIE HALL, NOTTING HILL, PRETTY WOMAN, THE PROPOSAL, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, THE UGLY TRUTH, and ROMAN HOLIDAY soared because you could actually buy that the two people at the center of the film would be crazy about each other. Humor helps, but a fundamental belief in the viability of the core romance is a non-negotiable.
Which is very fortunate, then, that our next review, the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston rom-com JUST GO WITH IT, is blessed with two stars who have a chemistry that is both snarky and sexy. Without the sparks between Aniston and Sandler, JUST GO WITH IT might have been just an average experience. With them at the wheel, though, it is an enjoyable comedy of errors (and deception) that constantly surprises - not least of which is a hilarious cameo by Nicole Kidman as an old enemy of Aniston’s who shows up at their Hawaiian vacation, further complicating an already-complicated web.
What’s also good about JUST GO WITH IT is its semi-plausible premise: a lothario who uses a wedding band to portray himself as a wronged husband to get women to engage in casual sex with him. Sandler is charming, boyish, funny, smart, and sexy enough to pull off this character‘s schtick. Danny basically matures a lot throughout the movie, and Sandler pulls that off, too. It’s one of his best performances, and you can see why both Aniston and Brooklyn Decker’s characters would be drawn to Danny.
Speaking of Aniston, she’s my third favorite Rom-Com actress after Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. In some respects, Aniston even trumps Roberts when it comes to girl-next-door appeal. There’s a reason why she’s the most successful of the “Friends” cast. The woman never fails to put a smile on my face - and this movie is no different. Katherine is an immensely likable and witty woman, and she makes a very engaging partner-in-crime for Danny. It is also entirely plausible that Katherine would help him get out of the corner he paints himself into by making Palmer think he’s married. Again, the great chemistry between Aniston and Sandler helps make their conspiracy a very interesting one.
Brooklyn Decker is merely okay as Palmer, the girl who makes Danny re-think his lothario/playboy ways. The problem is, beyond her sunny beauty and curvy body, Palmer just isn’t that interesting of a character. You could argue that Danny, being a man, is simply dazzled by her looks and mistakes lust for love (which is a common male failing), but we as the audience have to understand why he would engage in such a huge web of lies just to keep her. And since the character of Palmer is so bland and dull, we don’t understand why. Again, it must be a physical thing. But even that doesn’t hold much water, because Katherine is just as stunning as Palmer is - and far more intelligent and intriguing of a character. Indeed, in the later part of the movie, when Adam slowly starts to realize that it is the smart and sarcastic Katherine that he’s loved all this time, the movie becomes stronger.
The rest of the cast is just as good as Sandler and Aniston. Nick Swardson is a goofy delight as Danny’s pal Eddie, who also joins in the charade - and pays for it in a hilarious scene involving a choking sheep. You’ll see. Katherine’s kids are played with sweet charm by Bailee Madison and Michael Gluck, and have a couple of funny moments involving Danny pretending to be a loving dad to them - that is, only when Palmer is watching. Then there’s Nicole Kidman as Devlin, the girl from Katherine’s past who throws a monkey wrench in the whole affair. It’s very rare that Kidman gets to flex her comedic muscles, and she does so wonderfully here - especially in the Hula Showdown with Katherine. Again, you’ll see…
Ultimately, JUST GO WITH IT further proves what we’ve always said: if you have the right stars with the perfect chemistry in a romantic comedy, then you’ve already won.
In closing, please revel in Party Ben’s awesome mash-up of General Public’s “Tenderness” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” which he calls “Tender Umbrella”. This cheerful and sexy song plays over JUST GO WITH IT’s trailer and over the scenes of Katherine’s makeover in the actual movie. Great music to dance to first thing in the morning with that special someone.
