Just Go With It: Please, Don't Go to It

Another Friday, another unoriginal, lazy, empty rom-com to discuss. Oh, and one starring Jennifer Aniston? And Adam Sandler? Even better! Nice to see you two here again! It's so great that you guys keep doing this to me. (Ihateyousomuch.)

Just Go With It is about a rich plastic surgeon to the stars who doesn't realize what his job and income bracket are, and thus believes that to get women to sleep with him he has to wear a fake wedding ring and lie to them about an abusive wife he made up. Now, there are a lot of logic problems in this movie -- which happens, when you put absolutely no effort into your screenplay -- but that right there is indicative of the kind of flagrant stupidity we're dealing with here. I've seen a lot of romantic comedies, and a lot of screwball farces, and I can honestly say that the characters in Just Go With It are some of the most infuriatingly mentally deficient people I have ever watched in a movie.

I guess I'll go over the rest of the plot, but it's awfully predictable tripe, so if you've seen the trailer or you've ever seen a movie before, you know how this goes. Sandler meets a 23-year-old juggy blonde girl he "really likes this time," but she finds the fake wedding ring he uses in his fake wife scam and threatens not to see him anymore if he's married. Sandler goes to his best friend, Jennifer Aniston, who is literally supposed to be unattractive because she wears glasses, She's All That-style, to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, instead of just explaining to the girl that he's not married and that people own jewelry, like, all the time, and it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Everyone goes along with this ludicrous conceit, which I could actually accept if executed well. (Spoiler: It's not!) He makes up a name for Aniston (which the girlfriend does not Google), and a name for the man she purportedly cheated on him with (Dolph Lundgren is who he chooses; the girlfriend believes this), and then they make Aniston's two children pretend to be their children, and one of them is doing a fake British accent the whole time and they're both horrendously precocious, and it's just a nightmare. I mean, there are so many things that don't add up, and so many instances of people just readily believing some of the worst liars in the history of mankind that you kind of have to wonder if there's something wrong with the people who wrote this.

Then there's the issue of the humor in these movies. You'd really have to focus if you wanted to tally up all the poop jokes, so bountiful are they. If you chose one that could be representative of all of them, however, I'd personally go with the one where Nick Swardson (who plays Dolph Lundgren) falls asleep with his hand in a toilet (normal) and then a child sits on that toilet and defecates on it (even more so). Big laugh! Oh, and what is bathroom humor without injured scrotum humor? Like when Adam Sandler slips on a wooden plank and ends up landing on his balls? Yee-ouch! Just like in America's Funniest Home Videos!

[Spoiler alert for those who have never seen rom-coms] But if you'll see anything with a happy ending, you'll be glad to know that eventually Jennifer Aniston takes off her glasses and wears a bikini at the beach, and Sandler realizes -- for the first time, despite knowing this woman 15 years, mind you -- that she has a hot body and is somewhat attractive. So then he's in love with her, of course. The end. This fucking movie, you guys.

Check out this list of ten underrated romantic comedies that you've probably never seen, but should.

Did you see Just Go With It? Give us your review in the comments, then see why we think Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler deserve each other!

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18 Comments

February 11, 2011 12:37 PM
Cristiane
Reply

OK, this is basically a remake of Cactus Flower (1969), which was not a great movie to begin with. However, it starred Ingrid Bergman, Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn, who WON AN OSCAR for her ingenue role. Ah, the decline of Hollywood in a nutshell (or a nut shot, in this case).

February 11, 2011 12:50 PM
Cindy
Reply

Pathetic pinheads keep paying money to watch these trainwrecks so Aniston/Sandler et al..believe"oh they love us" and keep churning them out.Aargh!

February 11, 2011 1:27 PM
Kristen
Reply

"This fucking movie, you guys."

That made me lol. I've been pissed at this movie since I first saw the trailer.

February 11, 2011 9:08 PM
ratgirlagogo
Reply

You do realize that the original of this movie required that Walter Matthau not realize that INGRID FUCKING BERGMAN was hot, yes? My point being that shitty romantic comedies aren't a recent Hollywood invention - it's just that 40, 50, 70 years later we only really see the good ones from back then.

February 12, 2011 9:33 PM
Jason
Reply

I read your review before seeing the movie last night, so I didn't have high hopes for it. I was surprised that I actually liked it and found myself laughing throughout the whole thing. Maybe I'm a little twisted, but I thought it was hilarious each time Adam Sandler made fun of the children. And, yes, the poop gag was ridiculous, but I don't recall all that many poop jokes, other than references to the boy's IBS. Plus, you have to take this movie for what it is: a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Don't get mad at a movie for following the formula. It's a Valentine's Day weekend release--of course it's going to be "safe."

February 13, 2011 5:35 AM
The Truth
Reply

Adam Sandler hasn't been funny since The Wedding Singer. I give all of his films a giant wide berth these days.

February 13, 2011 5:31 PM
Mark
Reply

Regaring the "Cactus Flower" source material, that movie played on the age issue. The idea was that the Walter Matthau character had an age obsession and would only pursue younger women, so he was blind to the fact that Ingmar Bergman, though "mature," could also be attractive. In "Just Go With It," both women are in more or less the same age range, so it makes no sense at all.

Hollywood has always used that "the woman takes her glass off, suddenly becomes beautiful" cliche. But in this era, when good looks are not defined quite so narrowly, on top of removing the age issue, it just makes the Adam Sandler character out to be stupid, as well as despicable and superficial.

February 13, 2011 5:40 PM
markos
Reply

"Cactus Flower" played on the age issue. The idea was that the middle-aged Walter Matthau character had an age obsession, and would only pursue younger (usually not very bright) women. So he was blind to the charms of the more mature, more substantial Ingrid Bergman character. In "Just Go With It," both women are in more or less the same age range, so it makes no sense.

Hollywood has always used the "woman takes her glass off, suddenly becomes attractive." But in an age where beauty isn't as narrowly defined, on top of removing the age issue, it makes the Adam Sandler out to be a complete moron as well as a superficial chauvinist ass.

February 13, 2011 6:29 PM
sashay
Reply
replied to comment from markos

Are you and Mark the same person? Because if you're not, the fact that you use almost identical phrases and concepts indicates that you're either soul-mates or identical twins separated at birth! (I'd look into that if I were you).
Otherwise, excellent analysis. Thanks for saving me from ever bothering to catch "Cactus Flower." No worry that I'd ever watch anything co-starring Aniston and Sandler.

February 13, 2011 6:30 PM
sashay
Reply
replied to comment from markos

Gah! TWoP really needs to fix their "refresh button." It either doesn't post your comment or does it multiple times. Soo annoying!

February 14, 2011 6:36 AM
kabocha
Reply
replied to comment from markos

The two women in Just Go With It are not in the 'same age range'. Brooklyn Decker is 23, Jennifer Aniston is 42, old enough to be her mother. Yes, it's ten years less than the gap between the women than Cactus Flower, but still a substantial difference.

February 14, 2011 2:22 PM
Gnatalby
Reply
replied to comment from Mark

I would pay to see the movie where Walter Matthau realizes his forbidden love for Ingmar Bergman, but I'm pretty sure you mean Ingrid.

February 14, 2011 2:31 PM
Jill S
Reply

This movie, and ones like it, are why I tell my husband, "I HATE movies." He continues to rent this crap at the RedBox. Oh yes! It's just a matter of time before he brings it thru the door.

February 14, 2011 2:54 PM
rick
Reply

I admit I had no expectations for this film other than seeing three extremely attractive women (Aniston, Decker, and Kidman) onscreen. Despite the fact that all the characters are either incredibly gullible or incredibly stupid, it was actually a rather enjoyable film. And Aniston and Sandler had surprisingly good chemistry together. And Nicole Kidman had fun with what would normally be a throwaway part. If nothing else you get to see Dave Matthews grab a coconut with his ass.

February 18, 2011 12:49 PM
cracar
Reply

I actually enjoyed this movie! Anniston is incredibly hot.. I knew I wasn't going to see an oscar-worthy movie... I knew that since it was Adam Sandler there would be poop jokes and mindless entertainment... I knew how it would work out in the end... Good, funny, rom-com. I don't think I am alone on this one either. Can you say top box office for the week?

February 22, 2011 8:32 AM
Amber
Reply

I read this review before I saw the movie and you were dead on! It was awful. The only likable character was Aniston's. Though Kidman and Matthews cameos were pretty good. Oh and I love kids as much as the next person but the children in this movie were horribly annoying!!

July 31, 2011 4:48 PM
Bri
Reply

Some of you people need to get the sticks our of your asses... The movie is no Titanic but it was funny and made me laugh. Who cares if its not totally believable, IT'S A MOOOOVIE. If you want something believable and gripping watch the news... Freaking tight wods. Plus the eye candy is nice

July 31, 2011 4:49 PM
Bri
Reply

Some of you people need to get the sticks our of your asses... The movie is no Titanic but it was funny and made me laugh. Who cares if its not totally believable, IT'S A MOOOOVIE. If you want something believable and gripping watch the news... Freaking tight wods. Plus the eye candy is nice

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