Likable Sandler-fare, as usual

Rating: 6/10 (20 June 2011)

Adam Sandler is getting pretty solid at producing and acting in quasi-poignant tales that get him somewhat further away - and, ultimately, closer to (doesn't make sense, I know) - from his proto-Sandler-style of filmmaking that has his vaguely proto-typical cast of characters - hapless, hopeless geeks, improbable ladies' man, a "nice guy" that all the ladies want, but still seem to settle on the douches. Sandler brings his "crew" together - former/current SNLers, Allen Covert (who is pretty much in every Sandler movie that I can think of), and some heavy-hitters occasionally. "The Wedding Singer," "Grown-Ups," and, now, "Just Go With It" all pander to this amiable style of film-making that is at times borderline gross-out - but just pulls away before you realize this probably isn't an Apatow-slacker movie, nor is attempting to be.
Sandler is a plastic surgeon who long ago accidentally discovered he could play the "my wife is a terrible person who abuses me" card to score with hot chicks at the bar. Fact is he's not actually married - he and/or his wife left him at the altar many years before when he discovered she really didn't like him - but he's become so comfortable with lying to score with the chicks he just doesn't care - or seem to. Jennifer Aniston is his office assistant, a sweet, single gal with 2 kids. She doesn't much care for how he deals with the ladies, but she still likes him because she sees what a sweet guy he really is under the surface of his rather devious womanizing that all starts with a lie.
Sandler meets the bounteous and beautiful - and, very young - Brooklyn Decker at a party. They sleep together on the beach and in the morning Decker discovers he's "married." Sandler immediately throws a lie out there - he IS in fact, married (wait, no he's not, but it's all a lie anyway) but he's in the process of getting a divorce because his relationship with his wife - again, playing the same card - is very bad. Decker somehow believes him and off we go with the rest of the movie where Aniston agrees to be his fake wife and ultimately go off on a vacation with Decker, Sandler, Aniston's kids, and Nick Swanson as the court jester/boob (basically a version of Rob Schneider from Sandler's other "Happy Madison" movies) who pretends to be Aniston's boyfriend.
There are a lot of funny setups and jokes - enough to enjoy the movie, for sure, even if they do clearly seem to be Sandler-ish in their obviousness. Hey, he's a plastic surgeon, let's see where we might milk that. Decker is half his and Aniston's age - let's see where we might milk that. Swanson is an often over-the-top boob - let's see where we can grab some silly jokes there. Aniston's kids - the daughter, especially - are good for quite a few laughs as well.
I half expected Decker to be pretty bad, but she does just fine. She is playing against top comedic talent here - though honestly Sandler nearly seems on auto-pilot in most of his movies - and nowhere is Jessica Simpson-like delivery in evidence. It hardly needs to be said she is being used for her looks more than her supposed talent, but her ability to transcend the "Hey, I'm just here to be a C-cup blond bimbo in a bikini" obviousness of her role is commendable. Sandler is notorious - or very successful, depending on your perspective - in bringing in at least one or two pieces of eye candy to most of his films, but in a manner that is less blatant or purely perverse. Yes, Sandler likes hiring hot chicks, but he also likes the good/nice guy to have a shot with her, which makes most of us nerds feel at least a little bit more hopeful. Decker and Aniston both of course fill this role, quite well.
While clearly not an intentional Oscar-winner, Sandler proves he is again capable of making a funny, somewhat poignant, generally enjoyable PG-13-bordering-on-R-rated film.