Actually Funny. Well Done

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2011)

Plastic Surgeon Danny (Sandler) picks up women by wearing a wedding band. Then, he meets someone he really likes, Palmer (Decker), and she won't have anything to do with a married man. He tells her he is getting a divorce and she buys it. Katherine (Aniston) agrees to be the fake divorcing wife and her kids also play along and the lies keep getting bigger and bigger. There was no end to them.
I kept saying that most Hollywood comedies have their funny stuff up front in the beginning and then later anything comical is forgotten for the rest of the movie. Well, I have to qualify that statement. Oh, it's still true, but not for an Adam Sandler movie. He has a way to keep the yuks coming throughout. There is nothing overdone, silly, stupid (ok, well there were a couple silly things, but like I said in a Hollywood comedy silly and stupid are mandatory) or telegraphed where they become tedious and not funny in most other comedies. But this doesn't happen in a Adam Sandler movie. Many of his contemporaries should take note, especially the ones I keep saying should be selling used cars. And, Sandler even hires some of them for his movies and still they don't learn anything? Bummer.
Sometimes a good comedy is based upon a lie, that keeps evolving and funny things can come out of subsequent misunderstandings, and half-truths. That is an old and true comedic formula and Sandler knows it, and he has enough sense to keep the funny things going on all the way through.
I had to laugh out loud many times. Just had to do it. Take for example one of the kids who agrees to go along with the lie. She wants to project an English accent. So Danny says he wants to hear it first. So she goes, "Heeeeeeellllo" in a very exaggerated rather high English tone. Immediately, Danny says, "No." I was almost on the floor. Pure gold.
I am quite leery of Hollywood comedies, but what kept me was the scene in the doctor's office when a woman came in who had an accident with one of her implants (it deflated). The conversation between Danny and his assistant Catherine sealed the deal for me and it was quite good. Yes, a little on the risqué side, but funny nevertheless. Hey, risqué can be funny if it's done right and this was. Hey, I just went with it. HA!
The entire support cast performed well and Brooklyn Decker may become a very good actress. She held her own. You may have seen her in the recent SI Swimsuit issue.
This was actually funny and better than the usual-not-funny Hollywood comedies. Well done.
Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Sex Talk: Yes, mostly in the beginning Language: No f-bombs. A couple S-words were heard.