RATING: 1/5
Imagine sitting through a two-hour show of bad sitcom desperately trying to be funny, and it feels like forever. That is exactly what happened when I watched this listless Adam Sandler's romantic comedy, JUST GO FOR IT. It is that bad, and I kid you not.
Based on the 1969 screwball comedy CACTUS FLOWER (which starred Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn), the movie opens with a prologue twenty-three years earlier where Danny Maccabee (Sandler) is disappointed about her bride he's going to marry with. While drowning his sorrow at a bar, he finds himself lucky that his wedding ring he wears in his finger is an unexpected chick magnet. Realizing that potential, he uses his wedding ring pretending to be unhappily married to attract whichever young pretty women.
Now in his forty-something age, Danny has become a successful plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and still remains single after all these years. When he finally meet the woman of his dream in the form of Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), he decides that she's the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. But on the day after they slept together in a beach, she finds out his wedding ring in his pocket and feels disgusted. Danny tries to save the situation by claiming he's in the middle of a painful divorce, and this is where he enlists his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his soon-to-be-ex-wife so Palmer will end up believing his story. More lies ensue, as Danny's plan stretches along with Katherine's kids, Maggie (Bailee Madison) and Michael (Griffin Gluck) where all of them including Palmer eventually find themselves vacationing in Hawaii.
No doubt such screwball premise has potential fun to watch for, but Dennis Dugan's direction is terribly hackneyed. At two-hour long, JUST GO FOR IT is frequently ruined by patchy storytelling that goes all over the place. Just about everything here feels like a long-winded sketchy comedy show that doesn't know when to stop and get to the point. Plus, anyone expecting the trademark of Sandler's cruel antics will be disappointed by the more lighthearted approach here. Most of the comedy falls flat and forceful, with only a few giggles somewhere in the between.
The colorful cast aren't helping much either. Sandler's man-child antic is downright stale and he doesn't bring anything new to his same old character we have seen him better in the past. Jennifer Aniston, on the other hand, is credible. It's good to see her sweet-natured comedic chop puts into efficient use, where her role is simply spontaneous. Although there are times chemistry does spark between her and Sandler, those magic are shamelessly far and between.
As for supporting side, they are mostly mediocre at best. While it's good to see Nicole Kidman flexing her comedy side after years of dramatic roles, her role as Katherine's long-time rival is downright irritating. Former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker, who made her acting debut here, is a stunning presence. It's hard not to get mesmerized by her magnetic body figure but the same cannot be said by her stiff performance. Then there's Nick Swardson, who plays Danny's dim-witted cousin Eddie obviously tries to channel Rob Schneider's persona. Other than the mildly hilarious scene involving his attempts to save the life of a choking sheep, his character is more of a burden than a necessity.
JUST GO FOR IT is hugely disappointing. Consider this as Sandler's all-time low for a romantic comedy genre.