Just Go With It [2011]

Here’s something you should know before you watch this movie: the story you’re about to see was originally a french farce. Then it was adapted as a broadway play under the name “Cactus Flower”. Then the play was turned into a movie in 1969 and it starred Walter Matthau, Goldie Hawn (in her oscar winning role) and Ingrid Bergman. Now it has been made into another movie. You get the idea. Bottom line is: it’s a never ending process with Hollywood and I wouldn’t be surprised if they ever decide to remake it once again say 20 years from now. But I’m not complaining. I bought my ticket knowing exactly what to expect from it, and I got what I wanted. This is my way of saying that I had a good time watching this hell of a mess. I had a few guilty pleasure giggles, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Of course the critics won’t be as forgiving as I was, but hey it ain’t supposed to be “The Godfather” right?

The plot: Danny (Adam Sandler) knows his way around women. He broke up his wedding at the last minute, but still wears the ring. Women find that seductive, and can’t resist having sex with a married man. This worked for him for almost 25 years (I know right?). On the one day he isn’t wearing the ring, he spends the night with the beautiful Palmer (a horrible Brooklyn Decker). The next day, she finds the ring in his pocket and thinks he is married. Confused, Danny lies and says that he is in fact married, but his divorce is almost final. When she insists on meeting his wife, he engages Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), his faithful assistant to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife. And you can probably guess the rest. One lie would eventually turn into many lies, and so on and so forth. The typical Adam Sandler jokes are present, and the set-up for the story is pretty basic and probably way too predictable. Yet despite all its faults, “Just Go With It” remains entirely watchable, with a couple of laugh out loud moments (Nick Swardson’s impersonation of Dolph Lundgren is hilarious), and an enjoyable cast (with the exception of Nicole Kidman who’s totally wasted in a throw-away role as Devlin Adams). Silly, but fun.

Rating: 2/4