A
SAVVY
SANDLER
HIT
THAT’S MY BOY
By John Delia
Coming off a dismal outing with Jack and Jill, Adam Sandler releases his newest comedy That’s My Boy trying to reconnect to his fans. Partnering up with Andy Samberg and going old school he makes the film a hit. The very funny story builds during each act leading to a very humorous ending. Read more…
Directed by Dennis Dugan.
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews.
For better or worse, I’m an Adam Sandler fan. I just enjoy his laid back shtick and the way he attacks his material. He knows what’s good for him as an actor and stays within two distinct ranges in his films. You’ll find him acting either edgy and brave (Funny People, Punch Drunk Love) or playing the complacent loner living in his own world (Billy Madison, The Waterboy).
In “Just Go With It”, we find the latter; he’s a middle-aged man/boy wrestling with the dangers of emotional commitment. However, don’t get the idea that this is a film of great depth and substance, remember it’s an Adam Sandler film, it’s simply a light diversion into silly comedy and romance. A minor attempt to lighten your mood and deliver a few inspired laughs, and by the end of the film that’s exactly what you get.
Brooklyn Decker and Adam Sandler
Loosely based on the 1969 comedy “Cactus Flower”, “Just Go With It” is the story of Danny Maccabee, a freewheeling playboy doctor (Sandler), who seduces and then keeps women at arms length by pretending to be married. When he finally meets the woman he does want to marry (‘Sports Illustrated’ model Decker), circumstances force him to lie his way into the relationship with the help of his down-to-earth assistant (Aniston) and her two precocious children.
Surprisingly, Sandler and Aniston are great together, and the scenes where they go at each other as a make-believe bickering divorcing couple are excruciating delightful. Watching them paint each other into a corner with a barrage of escalating lies is just plain fun, and later when they are forced to declare their likes of one another, you can really believe they are falling in love.
Adam Sandler with Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck
The other characters, like Danny’s insipid cousin (Nick Swardson), the irritating yet lovable children, and a decidedly unfunny Nicole Kidman add nothing to the proceedings, but at least they don’t take away anything either.
“Just Go With It” is a respectable Valentine’s Day date film. You should find just enough laughs and romance to satisfy.
Rating: C
“Just Go With It” is rated PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language.
Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language
Genre: Comedy and Romance
Running Time: 1 hr 50 min
Release Date: February 11th, 2011
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
By John Delia
A very funny script and a cast with great chemistry in hilarious situations the film Just Go With It gets 2011 off to a good start. What drives the ordinary plot to a successful piece of comedic entertainment are the trio of leads and three wonderful support characters. Just Go With It provides great entertainment for a date or girls/guys night out.
Aniston, Sandler and Decker in Just Go With It
The plot involves Danny (Adam Sandler) a very successful plastic surgeon who has had no trouble getting dates using a very unusual ploy, letting the girls know he’s married. It has been working like a charm until he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) the girl of his dreams. With the fake wedding ring he uses in his pocket the two have an amazing night. But the next morning things take an about face when she finds the gold circle and breaks the spell. Danny starts a chain of lies to try and keep her and finds himself with his back to the wall. His only hope for support is his newly divorced medical assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), or so he thinks.
The chemistry between the trio of Sandler, Decker and Aniston is unbelievably magical making the clichéd plot work. Throwing Katherine’s kids Michael and Maggie played by Griffin Gluck and Bailee Madison into the mix takes the comedy to another level when the sly children get the trio to Hawaii. Here the situations begin to get a little crazy, but never get too over-the-top.
Brooklyn Decker as Palmer
Guys don’t be afraid to take your loved one to see the film on Valentines Day as there’s enough eye candy for the both of you. And if you just want a men’s night out, both Aniston and Decker are enough to energize your libido.
Director Dennis Dugan (The Benchwarmers, Big Daddy, Problem Child) has enough comedy credits to fill a video library and here he shows his stuff in a big way. Although I did not agree with his choice of Nicole Kidman or the filler scene at the hula show, the rest of his little ditty does work well. Ably bringing out the charm between the three co-stars and making the transitions between locations work, Dugan provides a very nice show for anyone mature enough to understand the comedy.
Just Go With It is rated PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language. It has the kind of content that’s a proven winner for most modern comedies these days.
“A SUMMER SPLASH”
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, and Joyce Van Patten Gloria
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity.
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1hr 42min
Release Date: June 25, 2010
Studio: Columbia TriStar
By John Delia
Take a bucketful of Saturday Night Live alumni, add director Bill Dugan who has a long list of comedies and throw in a script that allows it’s cast to show their stuff and you have a recipe for laughter. That’s what Grown Ups delivers and I don’t know a better way this hot summer to chill out at the movies.
Rock, Spade, James, Sandler and Schneider
Following the death of their grade school coach the basketball team members that won him a championship, Lenny (Adam Sandler), Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock), Marcus (David spade) and Rob (Rob Schneider), attend his funeral. After the services the team gets together for an impromptu reunion at the lake house where they had celebrated their big win thirty years earlier. Each brings their families with them for the retreat. When they start to reminisce about the past and their families start to mingle, the fun begins.
Marcus (Spade), Rob (Schneider) and Kurt (Rock) reminisce
Thanks to some very good directing I liked the central characters in the film, each able to offer their brand of comedy without being stepped on. To me it looked like director Dennis Dugan just gave Sandler, James, Spade, Rock and Schneider the basic lines for each scene and then let the group go at it, adlibbing throughout. Although Dugan does get a little out of control at times, especially during the water park scenes, his ability to keep that many crazy comics on track is a great feat.
The funny fearless five show up for the big game
The humor in the Grown Ups is wide range; it’s physical, situation comedy, scripted, ad lib, slap stick, tongue-in-cheek, all the improvisation techniques used to make Saturday Night Live a huge success. Thrown in the mix you’ll even see a stand-up comedy routine by David Spade and some dark comedy by Rob Schneider. It’s all in fun and the cast does their best to please in spite of a plot that doesn’t have much of a story.
You can count on some interesting support players including the likes of Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Joyce Van Patten, Norm MacDonald (SNL), Colin Quinn (SNL), Tim Herlihy (SNL), Tim Meadows (SNL), Maya Rudolph (SNL), Jackie Sandler (Adam’s wife), Sadie Sandler (Adam’s daughter), Sunny Sandler (Adam’s daughter).
The film is rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Go enjoy this cool comedy filled with laughs (4 of 5 Palm Trees)
