From Deseret News archives:
Stuck on You
Film review
But that's to be expected from a film by the Farrelly brothers — love-them-or-hate-them filmmakers who rely on some pretty cheap gags for easy laughs. Yet, the film also demonstrates further signs of their mellowing . . . or even — gasp! — maturing.
This film also has the highest number of "hits," or laugh-out-loud moments, of anything they've done since 1998's "There's Something About Mary."
"Stuck On You" is endearingly goofy, and in many ways, it could be the sweetest, most affectionate film the Farrellys have ever done. (And it's really not as cruel as it may appear at first glance.)
Much of the film's success can be attributed to the working chemistry between Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, who star as fraternal, conjoined twins Bob and Walt Tenor, respectively.
Bob is perfectly happy being a short-order cook, but Walt has higher aspirations — even higher than his recent success in some local stage productions. So they agree to move to Hollywood to further Walt's acting career.
They quickly receive an apparent big break when Cher (playing herself, but more unpleasant) casts Walt as her co-star in a new television show. (She's actually trying to sink the program by any means necessary.) But once the "secret" about her co-star is leaked, the show becomes a success and Walt becomes a star. Meanwhile, Bob finally meets his longtime Internet girlfriend (newcomer Wen Yann Shih), which creates a whole new set of problems — both men want to lead separate lives.
As usual, the Farrellys let the film run on too long (at nearly two hours, it's a bit flabby). But they get considerable mileage out of the film's one big joke, and, for a change, they get the ending right.
The cast makes all this go down easy, and Damon and Kinnear succeed in both their comic and (sometimes surprisingly) dramatic moments. As good as their co-stars are, the film's biggest scene-stealer is veteran character actor Seymour Cassel, playing Walt's past-his-prime agent.
"Stuck on You" is rated PG-13 for crude sight gags and references to sexual functions, scattered use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), slapstick violence (including a bar brawl) and a brief sex scene (done for laughs). Running time: 118 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com
