By Drew Williams/sports editor
What do actor Adam Sandler and professional tennis player Andy Roddick have in common? Besides being average at what they do and never failing to disappoint, both used their fame and money to convince supermodel-turned-actress Brooklyn Decker that marrying them would be a good decision.
Decker, who probably could have used some of her real-life husband’s tennis money to pay for a few more acting classes, makes her film debut alongside Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in Just Go With It.
The movie begins with Danny (Sandler) calling off his wedding after hearing his fiancée tell her bridesmaids about the numerous times she has cheated on him. The next scene finds Danny sitting at a bar filled with middle-aged, overweight men and staring at his wedding ring, only to be confronted by a beautiful brunette in Daisy Dukes, whom he takes home after a conversation that lasts approximately 45 seconds. Danny continues to wear the ring to pick up chicks into his 40s, even though he is a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.
The farce continues when Danny attends a party held by a client and meets Palmer (Decker). They spend the night with each other and end up sleeping together on the beach, resulting in the two of them seemingly wanting to start a life together after one night. Things get put on hold when Palmer finds Danny’s ring in his pocket, making him conjure up a false marriage with his assistant, Katherine (Aniston), and telling Palmer he is in the middle of an ugly divorce.
Palmer, ditzy blonde that she is, accepts his excuse, but forces him to prove it by taking her on dates, and to parties and, of course, the typical trip to Hawaii with his soon-to-be ex-wife and their kids.
Though predictable with way too many “that would never happen in real life” moments, Just Go With It did have its fair share of comedy.
Whether it was Katherine’s daughter, Maggie, played by first-time actress Bailee Madison, or Katherine’s arch-nemesis from her college days and her husband, played by Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman and musician Dave Matthews, the spotlight is definitely stolen from Sandler and Aniston.
At one point, Kidman and Matthews even seem to mock her past real-life relationship with actor Tom Cruise.
Sandler, as usual, uses slapstick and childish jokes to be funny, but he does pull them off well. And despite lacking the talent Aniston and Kidman have, Decker pulls off quite a few laugh-out-loud moments herself. Throw in the fact that most male viewers will forgive her for what she lacks in acting skill after they see her bikini scene, and Decker makes a not-too-shabby film debut.
It’s pretty easy to predict what happens in the end, which is why this movie is probably more of a rental than a reason to go to the movies.
But if a date night to the movies for some laughs is what you have in mind, Just Go With It can get the job done.
