Just Go With It
Rated PG-13
1 hr. 50 min.
Grade: B-
By Lisa Walz
Would you have ever thought to place Adam Sandler in a romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston? Neither did I. Until now. The tow have a natural comedic chemistry between that works for this type of Film.
Adam portrays Plastic Surgeon, Danny, who had his heart broken on the day of his wedding at the tender age of 20. On the eve of the wedding that never happens, he winds up in a bar and places his wedding ring on his finger and stares at it when a gorgeous woman walks in getting hit on by every guy in the bar except him. They start talking and she notices he is wearing a wedding ring and assumes he is married which is why he doesn’t hit on her. He milks the story making up scenarios as he goes and ends up leaving with this woman. That is how he decided he was never going to get his heart broken again, by lying to women he wants to sleep with about his fake marriage and he can leave them in the morning with no regret. Until, he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker). A ditzy 23 year old blonde bombshell who works at an elementary school and adores children. That’s about all we find out about her. Danny has decided he has found the girl of his dreams until she finds the wedding ring in his pocket and the lies of a fake marriage ending in divorce begins. Upon hearing this, Palmer decides she wants to hear this from his wife before she will move forward with him. Enter Jennifer Aniston as Danny’s medical assistant, Kathy. He convinces her and bribes her 2 children to play along in this charade so he can finally be happy with the woman of his dreams.
I’m sure you already know how this one ends, so I won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say it is predictable, but the ride is very entertaining with laughs, unexpected accents and Nicole Kidman playing the “Frienemy” of Jennifer Aniston’s sorority days. You know the one, she was always your best friend to your face until you got something she wanted and she would do anything to up the annie. Yeah, that kind of friend. A smaller role for her, but very well portrayed. Especially having to have Dave Mathews as her husband..
If you are interested in a movie that will make you feel warm and fuzzy and lovey dovey, this one is the one to see. The kids are great, the story line is not new, but gives a new twist to how it is told. No tissue needed for this one, except if you feel the need to make a Devlin. (You will know what I mean when you watch this film)
JACKASS 3D
RATED R
94 MINUTES
GRADE C
BY Rob Darren
The pranksters of JACKASS are at it again in "Jackass 3D". The third one of the series is in your face hilarious! Johnny Knoxville gets rammed in the balls by a bull. Along with Bam Magera getting dumped into a pit full of snakes. Not only does this movie use 3D, but uses slow-motion 3D. One of the highlights of the film is a porta-potty erupts in nasty fluids after being catapulted on a bungee cord. Still, there's more value in slapstick such as this than some might care to admit. These jackasses are direct descendants of the old-school silent comics. For pure entertainment value, it's hard to beat seeing these guys play to the audience.
There is, as always, a quality of innocence/ guilt to watching this film, and what happens when these prank evolve into pure laughter. Also pure fascination that the participants all share with the audience. More than ever, Johnny Knoxville and his boys belong to a very elite club of idiocy. Knoxville would never admit to such loser taste, but he and his friends are obviously graduate students of "The Divine Comedy,"
If only there was more to laugh at and with in the movie, which reaches its peak in the opening and closing credit sequences that show the arranged men being assaulted in transfixing slow motion, their heads stretching like rubber as another projectile finds its mark. Knoxville and his boys seem to be saying goodbye. To which I can't help thinking, fondly, it's time.
*** out of ****
Grade: B-
BY JEFF ROBILLARD
Michael Douglas returns to his Oscar winning role of Gordon “Greed is Good” Gekko in this entertaining follow-up to Oliver Stone’s 1987 box office hit. In the opening shot of the film, we see Gordon being released from a federal prison with an empty money clip and his retro cellular phone. Fast forward 7 years later and its 2008 and the economic meltdown of Wall Street is now beginning.
Gekko serves as the moral center for the story. He’s out from jail, author of, Is Greed Good?, and lecturer to business students throughout New York City. At first he seems to want inner redemption but then he meets a young trader named Jake Moore played by Shia LaBeouf and finds himself edging back into the game he was once master of. LaBeouf’s Jake Moore is courting Gekko’s estranged daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) and wants help to bring down the titan Bretton James (Josh Brolin) who brought his mentor and father figure Louis Zabel (played by the always great Frank Langella) to his knees. Jake wants revenge for Zabel’s death, join in with Gekko, win Winnie’s affections, gain self-respect, and make a good hunk of change along the way. The character of Jake is reminiscent of Charlie Sheen’s, Bud Fox, from the first film and like him we see an eager young man looking to make a name for himself but still keeping in tow his morals and doing what is right!
It takes a solid hour for the film’s pieces to fall into place. Stone does it with his mastery in pacing and timing but when the second half comes along he wrestles in melodrama which bogs the rest of the movie down. Overall, I enjoyed it! It’s beautifully shot and very glossy looking. Was it better than the original film, not by a long shot! I wish it had more guts and anger in it that the first film relished in. These were key components missing in it which left me feeling a little empty when the credits started to roll.
Douglas was terrific once again in his most iconic role of his career. The Charlie Sheen appearance was short and sweet and wrapped things up nicely. I have to give a huge amount of credit to Shia LaBeouf, he certainly can hold his own against these old time actors. He gives off a sense of youthfulness but still able to display an ambitious young man who will stop at nothing to prove his worth the ethical way. It almost sounds like a contradictory character to what happens on the greedy Wall Street but he’s the pivotal reactionary character that takes us along this journey of self-discovery in a world of death, love and loss, and money hungry sharks.
