Just Go With It DVD Review

By Kam Williams    

DVD Features Sandler and Aniston in Shallow Sitcom

"The Big Lie" is a shopworn formula which has been recycled by countless television sitcoms since serving as the premise for almost every episode of I Love Lucy. The age-old theme provides the fulcrum for Just Go With It, a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and last year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl, Brooklyn Decker.

The tale unfolds in Beverly Hills where celebrated, plastic surgeon, Dr. Daniel Maccabee (Sandler), is quite intent on remaining single. And to make sure none of his relationships ever gets serious, the confirmed bachelor falsely informs every woman he dates that he's married once he's slept with her.

That exploitative tactic serves its purpose until the day he falls head-over-heels for Palmer (Decker), a curvaceous, 23 year-old blonde he picks up at a pool party. She spots his wedding ring after they make love, but instead of continuing the canard as usual, Danny says he's in the midst of a divorce.

Palmer then asks to be introduced to his wife, so he has his office assistant, Katherine (Aniston), pretend to be his soon-to-be ex. But lunch together only escalates matters, since Palmer subsequently insists on meeting their kids, too, which leads to a more elaborate ruse involving Katherine's children (Griffin Gluck and Bailee Madison).

Eventually, the cockamamie plot has Palmer plus the masquerading menagerie vacationing on Hawaii where Danny goes to greater and greater lengths to keep all his assorted lies straight. If Just Go With It's storyline sounds vaguely familiar, that's because the script is a mirthless overhaul of Cactus Flower, the hilarious farce for which Goldie Hawn won her only Oscar back in 1970.

Unfortunately, the two films bear only a superficial resemblance to each other given that the latter's witty repartee has been supplanted here by the vulgar brand of humor demanded by diehard Sandler fans. En route to the pat redemptive resolution, better brace yourself for a flurry of bodily function gags ranging from an adolescent pooping into a sleeping man's hand to a German guy giving a gagging sheep the Heimlich maneuver.

Just run from it!

Fair (1 star)

Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, partial nudity, drug references and pervasive crude humor.

Running time: 116 Minutes

Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Extras: Blooper reel; deleted scenes; commentary with co-stars Adam Sandler and Nick Swardson and the producers; another commentary with director Dennis Dugan; and 3 featurettes: The Perfect Couple: Jen and Adam; Dolph-Not the One from Rocky IV; and Shooting Hawaii.

To see a trailer for Just Go with It, visit:

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Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.