Step 1: If you’re an Adam Sandler fan, you’ll probably just go with this one. If not, you might just go with another movie.
Step 2: Repeat. Just Go With It is regurgitated Sandler rom-com schtick, light on story, heavy on babes in bikinis. Sandler plays Danny, a plastic surgeon who has been pretending to be married to pick up girls for most of his life. But then he finds who he thinks is THE one – a 23-year-old 6th grade school teacher named Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) – and suddenly he wants to settle down. Except Palmer freaks out when she finds the fake wedding ring, and Danny has to make up a fictitious and vicious wife from whom he is divorcing. Enter Danny’s loyal assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), who somehow agrees to play said wife – and even lets her two kids become their fake kids. Long story short, they all end up on vacation together in Hawaii where the lies just keep building and building. Try to guess who Danny ends up with.
Step 3: Repeat, without the same energy. Even for Sandler’s standards, the funnyman really seems to be phoning this one in. He doesn’t even have one decent flip-out scene, in which he screams something like “Are you too good for your HOME?” Maybe the guy is mellowing in his older age – that or he’s just making the same movie over and over again to make his millions and move on. Still, I have faith in Sandler. I’ve seen Punch Drunk Love and I know what he is capable of. I’m just hoping at some point his stupid movies will stop making money, and he’ll be forced to re-evaluate his career. I’m pretty sure Aniston has reached that point right now. She is just box office poison these days despite being appealing on screen. I’m on her side, too, just like Sandler. Maybe these two, who do share a fair bit of chemistry in Just Go with It, could make a quirky indie drama or something.
Step 4: Repeat, with eye candy. Most of Sandler’s cronies join him in Just Go with It, including his go-to director Dennis Dugan. But there is one surprise guest: Nicole Kidman. The oh-so-serious actress takes a laughter break to play Katherine’s old college roomie, a superficial conniver who Katherine has always hated. It is fun to see Kidman loosen up and play someone over the top. Of course, there’s also Decker, the total eye candy of the film. Poor thing, she really doesn’t have much to do besides stand there and look gorgeous. And honestly, Aniston looks just as good.
Adam, babe, I think you’ve saturated the market with your pointless comedies. Time to move on
