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Just Go With It Review

Just Go With It? My advice is to go without it. Adam Sandler has turned out another unfunny comedy for the masses of his loyal fans. Sandler is doing his same old routine. Check out hot chicks that are far too good for him, throw in a few toilet jokes, be innocent and endearing, wrap it up with a too-good-to-be-true ending. As has been the case of late, Sandler forgets to throw in a dash of comedy.  The thrust of the story is as follows: Sandler plays Danny, a bachelor whose “angle” to score chicks is pretending he’s married. When he meets the girl of his dreams, Palmer, (supermodel Brooklyn Decker … yes), she accidentally discovers his prop wedding ring and he must lie that he’s getting divorced in order not to lose her. He recruits his secretary Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) and her kids Michael (Griffin Gluck) and Maggie (Bailee Madison) to be his family. Nick Swardson plays Eddie, a sidekick role strictly for comic relief.  Sandler has an annoying habit of forcing stand-up comedy into his feature films. It’s an awkward and unfunny mixture when actors are obviously improvising whole scenes. What was funny to everyone on the set isn’t necessarily busting stitches in theaters. I recently noticed this trend in Grown Ups, where Sandler and his cast of aging comedians traveled from place to place, regardless of plot, simply to rip on one another in unstructured scenes. If Sandler has a hankering to do stand-up again he needs to book a tour or an HBO special. Until then, situational comedy is better suited for feature-length film.  Aniston also struggles in her role as the divorced assistant. She is a best friend, yet has no seemingly no chemistry with her co-star. The best way to describe her performance is stiff. She is so awkward in the picture it is a wonder she made her start in Friends, one of the most popular situational comedies to air on television. Decker, model-turned-actress, is actually comfortable in her supporting role. She is befitted with revealing outfits and bouncy scenes which further beg the question of how a fat slob like Danny ever landed her as a date. Adding insult to injury is Danny’s best friend Eddie. Nick Swardson is a Sandler comedy veteran, but that does not guarantee he has the chops to tickle moviegoers. He is annoyingly misplaced as are child actors Gluck and Madison. The kids need to be in an age-appropriate movie; they are clearly out of their league here. Gluck seems to be reading queue cards and Madison is an overacting extraordinaire.  The most redeeming character is one not featured in trailers or TV spots. It might surprise you that Nicole Kidman’s bit part on the back end of the feature is perhaps the most memorable and saving grace. But Kidman is not a comedian, which speaks to how unfavorable the entire feature truly is. Audiences love him, and he is certain to make a few bucks, but Sandler is asking too much with Just Go With It.  Rating: 4/10 Just Go With It Directed by Dennis Dugan Written by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker
Rating
4.0

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