A successful plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) pretends to be married to woo women, but when he meets the woman of his dreams (Brooklyn Decker) he ensnares his assistant (Jennifer Aniston) into a deeper (and dumber and dumber) web of lies and misunderstandings on the way to his happily ever after. Although the screenplay for Just Go With It is based on the 1969 film Cactus Flower (ultimately derived from a French play), director Dennis Dugan, Sandler’s point man for his Happy Madison productions, strips any high-art sensibilities from the proceedings, rendering a careless affair that has absolutely no relation to reality or most scripted stories. The situations, as they develop (and I’m using the word “develop” quite loosely here), don’t even necessarily build towards a climax as much as they randomly occur, sometimes seeming to surprise the actors mid-scene. And why would Nicole Kidman waste her time with such dregs when she could team up with Sandler for one of his higher-profile outings (PT Anderson or Judd Apatow?) and truly showcase her comedic chops? Just don’t go is honest advice, because it is surprising how little affection anyone involved in this movie has for romance and/or comedies. Grade: F
Opens Feb. 11. Check out theaters and show times, see the trailer and get theater details here.
