Adam Sandler’s the kind of person whose films can either hit or miss. As a major Hollywood success, this 45 year old man is still prancing around like he’s 12 with all the goofy baby talk, overly expressed yelling for emphasis and that awkward characterized personality which allows him to share the life of an average “Joe The Plumber” who can’t get laid or land a job or simply find him/her-self struggling with life.

Whether or not we like it, it’s worked for him just fine and to a certain degree, he maintains his ground, gathers ticket sales and from what I understand, his DVDs do pretty well too. In the end, I guess America can say they “love him” no matter what and will continue to come out in support of a man who decided to do the opposite of Jim Carry and simply refuse to grow up.

Something allowing Sandler to keep standing strong happens to be the choices he makes when selecting co-stars. In ‘ANGER MANAGEMENT’ (2003) with Jack Nicholson, Seth Rogen in ‘FUNNY PEOPLE’ (2009) and last year’s (2010) ‘GROWN UPS’ where he pretty much cast all of Hollywood’s box-office “A list” heavy weights. However, this time around I can’t say his choice was one that would visually define cinema success. As classy and beautiful as Jennifer Aniston may be, there isn’t a film she’s ever done that’s ever killed at the box-office and can’t say this one will as well.

Although continuity for Sandler worked out well, it may not be the same for Jennifer Aniston.

I think by now it’s safe to say ‘FRIENDS’ is basically her one and only claim to fame despite what others may think. Aniston’s gotten more famous simply for being famous—having been married to Brad Pitt didn’t hurt either. She is the one ‘FRIENDS’ former cast member whose film career sort of took off after the show ended, but while her career might be doing well, her talent never really grew. Aniston is a TV actress, and even though she’s currently on the big screen, she still acts like she’s on the small one. After she delivers a joke she always seems like she’s waiting for a laugh track. It’s not a bad thing to be a TV actress, it’s just where her talent lies.

Inspired and adapted by a Broadway show/play ‘CACTUS FLOWER,’ ‘JUST GO WITH IT’ traces the story of Danny (Sandler), a plastic surgeon who lies about being unhappily married in order to have one night stands with sympathetic women.

He begins to think his days of sleeping around are at an end when he meets the gorgeous Palmer (Decker). However, when Palmer discovers the ring he uses to lure single sex crazed ladies, she storms away, forcing Danny to lie again, saying he is married but waiting for a divorce to finalize. Palmer demands to hear it from the “wife” herself—and in comes Katherine (Aniston), a single M.I.L.F. who Danny works with, who agrees to play the role as his wife. Oh, crap! Can Danny convince Palmer of this elaborate charade, or will his lies catch up with him?

Presenting all that would define a full blown “date movie” or “chick flick,” ‘JUST GO WITH IT’ is hard to like, but then again hard to dislike as well. There’s no deceit here, if you’ve seen the trailer—I’m sure you have—you know what you’re getting, lots of comedy farce and lots of blunt Sandler wit and wisdom. It’s the 6th film director Dennis Dugan has done with the actor (the first being one of his earliest hits, ‘HAPPY GILMORE’ (1996)) and whilst it’s no classic, it is a step up from their last horrendous efforts—‘DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN’ (2008). The gags occasionally hit the mark, but by and large this is a formulaic comedy, which in itself is hard to dislike because it doesn’t profess to be anything more than a mainstream romantic comedy.

The age gap between Sandler (45) and Decker (23) makes that dynamic a little hard to swallow (think Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel in ‘YES MAN’ (2008)), he and Aniston make a surprisingly good team. Aniston works best with a charismatic co-star and even though the performance is the same as she always tends to give (slightly flustered but charming), the duo keeps the interest going. Decker is there to look pretty, which she succeeds in doing, but apart from that, contributes little. A surprise supporting performance comes in the form of Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (yes, the ex-Mrs. Scientologist). While not hugely affecting the plot, she comes into her own later in the film and displays some interesting comedy skills.

Hardly a highlight in the careers of anyone involved, however, somewhat of a crowd pleaser nonetheless. For the audience drawn to this type of film (Valentine’s Day couples and/or fans of the actress formerly known as Rachel Green) it will be exactly what they are looking for—a comedy that demands the minimum amount of attention and the maximum amount of  “feel good” attitude allowing the same couples to reassess their relationships and start frolicking a bit more like it was just yesterday when it all started.

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GRADE: C / GENRE: Comedy, Romance and Adaptation / ROARS: 3 out of 5

RATED: PG-13 / RUN TIME: 1 Hr. 50 Min.

STARRING: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Nicole Kidman, Bailee Madison, Griffen Gluck, Dave Matthews, Kevin Nealon, Rachel Dratch, Allen Covert, Dan Patrick, Minka Kelly

DIRECTOR: Dennis Dugan

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