JUST GO WITH IT
US, 2011, 117 minutes. Colour.
Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, Brooklyn Decker, Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck, Dave Matthews.
Directed by Dennis Dugan.
It might come as a surprise to older audiences who may have strayed unwittingly into an Adam Sandler movie to find that it is based on the 1969 film with Ingrid Bergman, Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn in her Oscar-winning performance, Cactus Flower. It follows the key characters and plot devices of Cactus Flower but turns them into a 21st century romantic comedy (with touches of 21st century innuendo and straightforward sex jokes – though most of them could probably go straight through to the keeper!).
Despite the jokes and some ogling of the Goldie Hawn equivalent (swimwear model, Brooklyn Decker) and some visual humour at the expense of those who indulge in plastic surgery and the ridiculous consequences, this is quite an amiable film. And Adam Sandler, now in his 40s, has mellowed for this role, from a serial womaniser who pretends to be married to preserve himself from any commitment, to a middle aged potential committed husband and stepfather. He does this quite genially.
Which means that Jennifer Aniston has the Ingrid Bergman role. Critics and audiences were surprised in 1969 when they saw Ingrid letting her hair down (somewhat). Critics and audiences will not be surprised to find Jennifer Aniston here, but they might be surprised to see her in one of her best performances. She is fully in the spirit of the film, the loyal assistant to the plastic surgeon, divorced mother of two, pretty but pretty dowdy who does not expect her life to turn out the way it will. As with Ingrid (who had one on her desk), she is the cactus who flowers.
The gist of the film is that Palmer (the blonde bombshell that Danny proposes to – who teaches maths at school!) thinks that Danny is really married and wants to meet his wife – and then discovers that he has children. After a shopping spree, Katharine really flowers (and has some good lines in repartee while pretending to be Danny’s wife) but then has to deal with a trip to Hawaii where Danny’s brother Eddie poses as Katharine’s boyfriend and joins the extended family where Palmer hopes they will all bond. (It is very hard to bond with Eddie; he has all the innuendo and more.)
Cactus Flower was itself based on a French farce of mistaken identities and this is how the Hawaii episodes are played – so that, we know it of course, Danny will realise that he really loves and likes being with the constant Katharine, and also likes her children, one of whom does drama classes and speaks most of the time with a British accent that is beyond Dick Van Dyke’s in Mary Poppins, the other of whom he teaches to swim as a real Dad should. A lot is played for laughs and mostly it is quite amusing.
Then we are offered a special treat. Katharine has always disliked her snooty college room-mate Devlin (and has used her name as a euphemism for a bodily function for her children). Danny in panic has called Katharine Devlin in talking with Palmer. So, who should turn up in Hawaii but Devlin herself. And she is more than snooty. She is garrulously snobbish, always wants to be first and win (which gets tested with Katharine in a hula contest) and is an all-out gushing phony. The reason for saying all this is that Devlin is played with a great sense of humour, relishing playing such an obnoxious character, by Nicole Kidman. She should do more comedies. She has good timing and delivery of her unpleasant lines.
While it is another Adam Sandler comedy, it is nicer than usual and an entertaining pastime.
1. An Adam Sandler film? His career? His comedy style? His fans? Now in his forties, more amiable?
2. The origins of this film in Cactus Flower: plot, situations, characters? An update?
3. Romantic comedy with differences, Danny and the prologue, his marriage, his false nose, overhearing his bride-to-be, her boasts, his opting out of the marriage? Fixing his nose? Going to the bars, picking up women? The years passing? Trading on his disillusionment as well as his being unmarried? His lack of commitment, his range of women contacts? Time for a change of laugh? The comic aspects of his character and situation?
4. Danny as a plastic surgeon, the jokes about people who had the surgery, the man whose face was so tight he couldn’t eat or drink, the breasts, the buttocks, the eyebrows?
5. Danny and his work as a surgeon, his manner, his clients, relying on Katherine? The easy rapport with her? Her constantly being there? Her taking the goods, meeting the clients, her laughter at the stories, the woman with the eyebrows? Her children, care for them? The toilet situation – and the use of the name Devlin? Her explanation of the Devlin story to Danny? Danny and his comic use of the phrase?
6. An amiable comedy, light, unreal – but with a message? 21st century expectations for sex humour, language, innuendo, bodily functions, the touch of the crass? Acceptable in this context? Absorbed by the rest of the comedy – or not?
7. Danny and his meeting Palmer, as a teacher, at the parties, the attraction, the night on the beach, discovering his wedding ring, her reactions, not wanting to break up a marriage?
8. The situation, Palmer wanting to meet Danny’s wife, the fabrication of the story and just going with it? Making up details as they came? The lies, the further consequences?
9. Katherine and her being persuaded to pose as his wife? The rehearsal, saying he was a pig? Going on the shopping spree and exploiting Danny’s generosity? Her dress-up, her manner, the chauffeur, her manner of speaking, meeting Palmer, the older woman and her jokes at the expense of thinking she was like a fifteen-year-old? The phone call, her children, Palmer discovering the children? Katherine’s reaction, Danny’s reaction? Her unwillingness to go further? Danny and his discussions with the children? The desire for Michael to swim with the dolphins in Hawaii? Maggie and her acting classes and British accent? The deals? The decision to go? Eddie and his being in the background, his behaviour with women, awkward? The story about Dolph Lundgren as Katherine’s boyfriend? His turning up at the airport, Danny having to pay his fare?
10. In Hawaii, the setup, the meals? Palmer and her being ingenuous, listening to the comments, wanting everybody to be happy? Katherine and her improvising? Eddie, the type, leering, his behaviour? The bonding with the whole family? Eddie and his Dolph accent?
11. Danny, the deal with the kids? Hawaii and the swimming with the dolphins, Michael not able to swim, the lessons, Katherine being happy?
12. The hotel, the clerk and the rooms, the pretences? The meals, the trek and the adventures, coming back tired, separating? Danny and his age and keeping up?
13. The farcical aspects? Bedrooms, discoveries, talking things over, the proposal of marriage?
14. Devlin’s arrival, her type, ambitious, constantly talking, their past, her postures, with Ian? Talking too much, continual challenge to Katherine, the way she remembered things, the effect on Katherine, on Danny? The explanations, her name as Devlin, at the swimming pool? Covering up? Devlin and her gossip, the invitation to the meal, the negotiations for Katherine to go, Eddie taking Palmer out, Danny agreeing – Dolph and his occupation of selling sheep online, the dead sheep, his trying to help, bringing the sheep back to life, being acclaimed? The contrast with the meal with Ian and Devlin, the hula competition, Devlin determined to win, Katherine and her improvising? The playoff, Ian and his technique? The finale, Devlin and Katherine making up, telling the truth, Devlin urging her to marry Danny? Ian and his being gay, with the sailors?
15. Danny and the kids, the accent and acting and the deals, the swimming, swimming with the dolphins?
16. Dolph and Palmer, Palmer easily giving up, encouraging Katherine and Danny – and her meeting Andy Roddick on the plane?
17. Katherine and her control, with Dolph in the bathroom, awake during the night, meeting Danny, arrangements for the wedding?
18. The wedding, her not going, talking with Devlin, Danny and his declaration of love after overhearing her, his love for the kids, prepared to settle down?
19. Romantic comedy – with the message about midlife and the need to settle down and with commitment?
