The Retriever Weekly FEBRUARY 15, 2011 arts 11 Sandler is just not funny in Just Go With It

BY DANIEL SUPANICK

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son [PG-13] Martin Lawrence returns as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, who must go undercover in a girls’ school for the arts as Big Momma. This time, he’s joined by his teenage stepson, Trent, played by Brandon T. Jackson, who goes undercover as Charmaine. Because there’s nothing funnier than guys in fat suits and drag, which has been done in approximately 100,000 movie comedies. Pass.

I Am Number Four [PG-13] Alex Pettyfur plays John Smith, a fugitive with extraordinary pow- ers and a boring name. He’s on the run from...something. Dianna Agron, Timothy Olyphant, and Teresa Palmer are also in this movie. Timothy Olyphant is also on Justified, which is awesome. Dianna Agron is really cute. I’d date her, you know, if I knew her in real life. Still, looks kinda boring, to be honest.

Unknown [PG-13] Liam Neeson plays a guy who wakes up from a coma to find his identity’s been stolen and no one in his life remembers him. What does he do to cope? He kicks some ass, because that’s what Liam Neeson does. Here’s my ten dollars. Go download it for me. Also stars Jennifer Jones and Diane Kruger. Courtesy Columbia pictures

Adam Sandler stars as Danny, a scheming bachelor who gets his assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his wife so that the girl of his dreams doesn’t find out he’s a sleaze. Ask Archer. Daniel Supanick his dreams that he's not a scumbag. and a half without much of the fluff Q: I get along great with my roommate, despite the fact that we Staff writer It goes without saying that the that fills the runtime. It's ironic, too, run in different circles. I already have a new roommate for next story is contrived, so I won't focus since we see totally needless things year, but my current roommate is all excited about us continuing Let me be clear: I really like Adam on that. Instead, I will focus on the going on in the film, and yet, they to be roommates next year and making plans. How do I break Sandler. I think he can be genuinely fact that Sandler spends the entire skip seemingly important story it to her that I have other plans in mind without hurting her or funny, and when he takes on a seri- film phoning in jokes. Each joke points that they choose to instead tempting her to trash my side of the room? ous role, he can nail it. He is a good seems either forced or off-handed, have characters explain in detail. It's comedian and a good actor. Howev- and some have nothing to do with senseless. And the product place- Puzzled in Potomac er, now he's stuck making really aw- the direction of the film. They just ment. Oh, the product placement. ful, manipulative, treactly comedies. happen, and are never mentioned It's almost as though they're in a Dear Puzzled in Potomac, And it's our fault. again. The dialogue is awful, and Mad Men wet dream. At the begin- Starting the conversation is always the hardest part, so don't start it with "We need to talk." Mention it when you're both in the In 2009, Sandler worked at doing sounds as though they made it up ning of a scene that takes place in a appropriate mood, meaning don't bring it up while either of you a serious comedy with Funny People, on the spot. It's delivered with such Pizza Hut, I thought the movie had is doing homework or studying. Go to dinner together one night and tried to reveal a side of him we weightlessness that it's hard to buy cut to a Pizza Hut commercial. It's and approach the situation there. Here are a few conversation hadn't seen before. Funny People, the importance of the story's main laughable. starters: "We get along great and I appreciate our relationship while not perfect, is a very good issue. Most of all, the movie isn't Also, I'm tired of watching mov- and your wanting to keep me around, but I have other plans I movie, and Adam Sandler was ex- funny. Everything is delivered with ies that feel more like footage of want to share with you;" "While I appreciate that you want me to cellent in it. Problem is, we ignored such bombast and show that the Sandler's personal vacation. Look, be your roommate again next year, I have a new idea for you to it, and we ignored him. We sent the jokes can't do anything but fall flat. I know I feel that he hates making consider;" "I know you have plans, but would it be the smart- message that if he wasn't being silly It's hard to laugh at something when these, but I didn't pay to watch him est choice to be roommates again next year?" Don't make the conversation sound like you're breaking up with your boyfriend, and making lazy sex jokes, we didn't it's being delivered to the audience go to Hawaii and have fun. I paid to but make it as serious as it needs to be. College is all about care. As a result, we have movies like in a way that screams, "This is a watch a film where he tells a funny discovering yourself, anyway: your current roommate helped you Just Go With It. joke! Laugh, now!" story. While I didn't get that, I did discover a certain part of yourself; your future roommate will Just Go With It is an example of Nothing about Just Go With It is get the vacation footage. Thanks for uncover another part. Sandler falling back into his old subtle. Everything is left wide open letting me know you had an awe- formula, which has become so tired for the audience to ingest, and it's some time, Adam. and so exhausted that even Sandler delivered in such a direct, openly Regardless, I'm embarrassed for seems to have stopped trying. The manipulative way, it's hard to feel Adam Sandler. I'm embarrassed for Tower of Babel Timb Mantegna jokes aren't funny anymore, the sto- anything at all. The characters are Nick Swardson. I'm even embar- ry is transparent and manipulative, all despicable. Sandler's character is rassed for Kevin Nealon, who's only well, we and the filmmaking is lazy. It's an a phony tool, and it's hard to make in this movie for about three min- example of a group of people who someone root for someone so cheap. utes. Just Go With It is an example WERE an have just stopped caring about a Jennifer Aniston plays every charac- of what happens when a great talent product they have no faith in. ter she's ever played, so she ends up has given up. He tried to do some- up-and-coming In this film, we see Adam Sandler coming off as boring. The children thing substantial before, and that school in his man-child bachelor persona, in the movie are obnoxious and failed, so no one is letting him do it picking up women by wearing a insufferable. The romantic interest again. This is what we get for want- wedding ring and pretending to be is uninteresting. It's futile attempt- ing less from Adam Sandler, a per- stuck in a broken marriage. When ing to care about a story when the fectly talented comedian and actor he comes upon one (Brooklyn characters themselves are poorly who wanted to try new things: The Decker) who might be "the one," written. same thing he did before, just done he has to convince her to stay with It goes without saying that the as poorly as possible. him despite the ring. To do this, he filmmaking is terrible. The editing convinces his personal assistant, is messy, and makes the audience Jennifer Aniston (played, naturally, subject to many jarring cuts and Comments may be sent by Jennifer Aniston), to play his fake unnecessary scenes. This two-hour to [email protected] ex-wife and convince the woman of film could easily have been an hour [email protected]