Cinema Verdict Review: Just Go With It

Just Go with It

OPENING: 02/11/2011

STUDIO: Sony Pictures

RUN TIME: 99 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Sometimes a guy’s best wingman…is a wingwoman.

Opening Statement
As a critic I’ll admit there are times when I must put aside my initial instincts to “overanalyze” a film and just go with it. If any film asks for such a pass it’s the latest Adam Sandler-dates-a-hot-chick opus, titled, er, Just Go With It. By now Sandler’s collection of low-brow comedy films offer nothing new; they more or less follow the same standard storyline, contain the same basic characters and oftentimes toss out the same jokes. Yet, I tend to give them credit because damn it all they make me laugh. In the case of Just Go With It, I laughed a lot.

Facts of the Case
Sandler plays, in a bit of a stretch if you ask me, a plastic surgeon who moonlights as a lady killer. His secret? He pretends to be married to a spastic spouse, one who constantly abuses him and cuts him off emotionally. Apparently chicks dig that kind of stuff.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, Sandler (and he is just Adam Sandler no matter what the script calls him) suddenly finds himself in a conundrum: at a happening party, full of happening people and hot super-models, the sultry Brooklyn Decker mysteriously appears and only has eyes for the big shlub. The two walk on the beach, have sex (perfectly normal), after which Sandler realizes he may have just found his soul mate. Oh! But then Decker finds Sandler’s “fake” wedding ring and our boy-hero can’t seem to find the right way to explain it.

So he tells a little lie.

He has a wife (lie), whom he plans on divorcing (also a lie). Decker, being the clean cut babe that she is, immediately understands, but wants proof of his pending separation. Better yet, she wants to meet Mrs. Sandler. Oh the conundrum!

Luckily, Sandler has an equally hot-assistant-in-disguise (he won’t notice her until she takes off her glasses) in “lowly” Jennifer Aniston, who he convinces to pose as his fake soon-to-be-ex-wife. Naturally she agrees to her boss’ shenanigans. And to be sure no demographic goes unchecked, Aniston brings along her two children for the ride.

The production finds an excuse to move to Hawaii, where there’s a brief run-in with Nicole Kidman; a plethora of shots featuring Decker wearing next to nothing (never a bad thing); and the pivotal moment where Anniston shows off her 40+ year old body just in case her fans thought she was out of shape. All the while poor Sandler has to choose between who he thinks is hotter. I’m surprised he didn’t end up with both.

The Evidence
I gotta hand it to Sandler. Any guy who can convince a Hollywood studio to pay him and his buddies to hang out with gorgeous women on the beaches of Hawaii (twice!) is fine by me. And that’s essentially what the actor does: craft simplistic stories (the type he ridiculed in his semi-serious Funny People) that give him an excuse to have a good time. By now Sandler understands his place in Hollywood. The actor who once delivered a delicate, touching performance in Punch Drunk Love no longer displays a passion for acting. He’s in it for the cash, and he milks every dime.

I guess the question to ask is whether or not Just Go With It is any good. As a film it carries no artistic value whatsoever. The characters are one dimensional and idiotic, the various over-the-top situations lack believability, and the story lacks punch. Once the concept kicks into gear you know where the script is headed, even if you’re not entirely sure why it needs to go there.

But that’s the snobby film critic in me talking; the one who snarls at anything not directed by the Coen brothers. The casual moviegoer inside my soul, the one who gets kicks out of Michael Bay flicks, says, “Just Go With It is a hilarious comedy.”

In truth, I don’t know what it is about Sandler, but the guy knows funny. Even though the jokes never change, the former SNL star manages to put enough of a new spin on them to induce a good laugh or two. You’re none the wiser when you exit the theater, but at least you’ve had a good time.

Just Go With It offers plenty of jokes, mostly of the crotch/bathroom/sexual variety, some that suck (Nick Swardson’s Swedish doc was kinda dumb), and some that work really well (check out those eyebrows!). Sandler and co. throw out as many site gags, one liners and slapsticky situations as they can muster, then step back and hope that one sticks. I’ve always felt that a good comedy needs at least two truly funny scenes. Just Go With It had, by my count, around four or five. That doesn’t make it a classic, just a funny movie. One well worth the price of admission.

I liked Aniston in this. Her character, more so than any of Sandler’s brain dead beauties, actually gets to keep up with the big guy. When the two bicker, sparks fly; their conversations do what the film cannot: they carry some solid weight. It’s too bad the former Friends star never carved a niche on the big screen, because she can do comedy as good as anyone.

Decker on the other hand, while cute, what with that raspy voice of hers, can’t quite match the comedic timing of her co-stars. Her comedy bits fall flat, but apparently nobody had the heart to tell her otherwise. It’s a good thing her character isn’t vital to the plot. Mostly she just struts around in sexy attire and walks out of the ocean in slow motion. Director Dennis Dugan doesn’t hide the fact that she’s more or less a model for hire, or eye candy; a means of attracting some more money. He poses her under waterfalls, on sandy beaches and even films her in the shower. It’s as though they caught her in the middle of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit shoot and asked her to say a few lines. I’m not complaining, just stating how it is.

Overall, Just Go with It is typical Sandler. By now most people know what that means, and you either like the guy or you don’t. I’ll be the first to admit some of his films suck, but in this case Sandler delivers a film on par with some of his funniest work, namely 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer. And like those films there’s also a nice amount of gooey sentiment to keep the girls from scoffing at all the cleavage. Both parties should walk away happy.

Closing Statement
Just Go With It caters to Adam Sandler fans, which means if you like him you’ll probably like the movie. If you couldn’t stand him before, then there’s no reason to try now.

The Verdict
7/10

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