Just Go With It - (February 11, 2011): PG-13
Distributor: Columbia Pictures (subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $30,514,732
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $79,457,522
Gross Revenue: $104,455,000
Budget: $80 million
Directors: Dennis Dugan
Regardless of whether audiences would realize that Just Go with It is actually a loose remake of Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn’s 1969 comedy Cactus Flower, easily one of the biggest selling points for this newest comedy is that it represents yet another collaboration between Adam Sandler and director Dennis Dugan. Sandler and Dugan have previously partnered together on five films, including the comedy classics Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy, so there was a definite precedent with this comedic team that could be exploited to boost ticket sales. Just Go With It also represents the first collaboration between Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, who, despite some box office disappointments, has had definite success in working alongside Hollywood funnymen (think Bruce Almighty, Along Came Polly, and Marley & Me). Still, perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding Just Go With It involved the inclusion of 23-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker, who would be making her feature film debut as Sandler’s love interest. As shameless as it may sound, regardless of whether or not she had the acting talent to hold her own on the silver screen, having the cover model of the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in a film primarily set in Hawaii (guaranteeing multiple bikini wardrobes) was sure to appeal to teenage and young adult male moviegoers. Tropical setting, attractive female cast members, and a supposedly guaranteed level of humor…Just Go With It had all the makings of a successful comedy.
Just Go With It introduces audiences to Dr. Danny Maccabee (Sandler), a successful Los Angeles plastic surgeon who pretends to lead an unhappy married life to pick up sympathetic women for no-strings-attached romantic flings. One day, Danny meets sixth grade math teacher Palmer (Decker), and even though he decides to not run his marriage scam on her, she eventually discovers his fake wedding ring and ends the relationship. Realizing his feelings for Palmer, Danny enlists his office manager Katherine (Aniston) to pose as his ex-wife, so that she can meet Palmer and give her blessings to the new relationship. Unfortunately, the lies begin to pile up and Palmer soon believes that Katherine and Danny have children together (in reality Katherine’s children from a previous marriage); after deciding to include the children in the lie, Danny is eventually forced to take the entire group on a Hawaiian vacation in order to keep up appearances. With the help of his zany cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson), who is posing as Katherine’s new husband, Danny must deal with his increasing web of lies and confront his feelings regarding his past behavior and his growing companionship with his fictional “family.”
The normal progression of my reviews usually starts with the positive aspects of the film in question, but because there are so few within Just Go With It, I feel compelled to break tradition. If the above plot sounds a little ridiculous and unnecessary, then your instincts are dead-on, as the core story offers little more than numerous examples of illogical progression and bad lying. Not only does Dr. Danny (who supposedly is a veteran womanizer) quickly lose control of his lies with increasingly stupid explanations, but his “intelligent” love interest instantaneously accepts everything his says at face-value…about twenty minutes of this and even the most optimistic audience member will start rolling their eyes. As far as the supporting cast goes, even after accepting the gullibility of Decker’s character, she still does little more than bounce around on the beach; yet the biggest annoyances come from Katherine’s kids (who may be the two most irritating and instantaneously unlikable child actors in Hollywood) and the bizarre additions of Nicole Kidman and Dave Matthews to the cast (yes, that Dave Matthews), whose character appearances feel unnecessary and only further weaken the film. Even Nick Swardson, who I thoroughly enjoy as a stand-up comedian, inexplicably sports a bad German accent the entire film and only comes up with one or two passably funny jokes. Even after looking past all these low points, Adam Sandler remains the biggest disappointment, as he seems to believe that his star-power justifies no effort to bring genuine humor into the film; in place of one of the memorable characters that made him famous, Sandler seems content to simply play himself on-screen, which may be okay in some instances, but this time was not only unfunny, but also downright lazy.
The only element of the film that prevents Just Go With It from being an absolute disaster is Jennifer Aniston, as her sweet and sarcastic performance echoes many of the love interests from some of Sandler’s vastly superior previous films. Where everyone else in the cast relies on infantile jokes about facial hair and spontaneous songs in idiotic voices, Aniston tries her best to inject some credibility into the story. It doesn’t hurt at all that Aniston is also drop-dead gorgeous, even going so far as to rival Brooklyn Decker for best bikini-body in the film. I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of chemistry generated between Aniston and Sandler; even though it helps audiences see the ending coming a mile away when weighed against the razor-thin plot, it still indicates that Just Go With It could have been a much better film had more effort been put forth.
Regardless of how much I disliked Just Go With It, the film still aptly demonstrated the undeniable box office draw of Adam Sandler, bringing in over $30 million its opening weekend, an impressive number for a February release. Of course, maybe the 30% drop-off in revenue between the first and second weekend indicates that word of mouth may not be as positive as some media outlets may have led potential moviegoers to believe. Still, Columbia Pictures has more than recovered its production budget between domestic and international box office receipts, so even subpar reviews will do little damage at this point. Regardless, I don’t care how famous Adam Sandler is or how successful his past movies have been, nothing excuses the lazy and disappointing quality of Just Go With It…both fans and general audiences deserve far better.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
