REVIEW: Jack and Jill fall flat on their faces

SPENCER PALMER

^{I’m not an Adam Sandler fan.}

^{When I first saw the trailer for “Jack and Jill,” I was genuinely intrigued. Adam Sandler was going to star in a dual role as a set of fraternal twins.}

^{After seeing the movie, I’m still intrigued but not because it was a great movie or the special effects shots.}

^{The story is a fairly simple one suited for families with children 8-10 years old.}

^{Jack (Sandler) is a successful advertising executive with a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes, “Batman Begins”), a doll-loving daughter and an adopted Indian son.}

^{Every Thanksgiving, his sister Jill visits Jack and his family, and every Thanksgiving, Jack dreads his sister’s visit. This year, however, she decides to stay for much longer than planned.}

^{Jill is rude, loud, annoying and doesn’t realize how insensitive she is to others. It was hard for the audience to adapt to Jill’s boisterous behavior. I’m not sure if I got used to her or if she softened during the course of the movie, but by the end she wasn’t quite as annoying as at the beginning of the film.}

^{One thing I enjoyed about the movie is the variety of Sandler’s talents that were showcased without too much crude humor.}

^{With “Jack and Jill,” Sandler joins two lists of weird movies — twin movies, such as “The Parent Trap,” and movies that allow men to get in touch with their feminine side, such as “Mrs. Doubtfire.”}

^{Somehow Sandler ends up in another movie with another beautiful woman as his wife. Holmes joins the list of women who look for a husband who is funny, one that can override stupidity and crudeness. That said, Holmes does a great job at being the sane glue that holds the chaotic family together.}

^{Holmes’ character is more of a mediator between Jack and Jill than anything else. Her skills weren’t used to their full potential, and it was frustrating to see her held back so much.}

^{Al Pacino (“The Godfather”) has some great lines that comment on his Academy Award and his live stage performances. Frankly, I was surprised Pacino chose to participate in this movie. Maybe he was relieved to be able to sit back and not take himself seriously.}

^{This was a perfect chance for him to make fun of himself, and he seemed to take full advantage of the situation. Some of his scenes were simply ridiculous.}

^{Clever shooting regarding Jack and Jill was rampant through the film. Sandler interacts with himself more than previous actors who’ve co-starred with themselves in movies. There are scenes in which Sandler and Sandler physically interact with each other while their faces can be seen by the audience. That aspect of the movie was very well done.}

^{Handfuls of twins were skillfully placed throughout the movie. In addition, the introduction and end credits of “Jack and Jill” featured sets of twins sharing humorous stories and quirks in their relationship.}

^{Various actors, including Johnny Depp, Drew Carey, Regis Philbin and Shaquille O’Neal, graced the screen with funny cameos, which helped move the story along in an unobtrusive way.}

^{One scene had some disgusting, over-the-top, literal bathroom humor that wasn’t as funny as intended.}

^{Sandler, known for comedy and chaos in movies like “The Wedding Singer,” surprisingly begins the movie in a semi-responsible role — a major change of pace from his typical characters.}

^{Given the challenge of playing fraternal twins, I have to give him credit in doing a satisfactory job.}

^{The last movie Sandler was physically in — a non-voice-over, cartoon role — with a rating less than PG-13 was “Bedtime Stories.” It was refreshing to see another family-friendly film with him in it.}

^{I thoroughly enjoyed his Shakespeare scenes. They were some of the best parts of the movie.}

^{Director Dennis Dugan, who previously directed “Happy Gillmore,” “Big Daddy” and “Grown Ups,” once again teams up with Sandler to create another unfulfilling movie.}

^{As relatively short as it was, it was well balanced and felt like a satisfying-length movie — not too long or too short.}

^{Overall, “Jack and Jill” is a heart-warming but not a great movie.}

^{The unoriginality and the bathroom humor combined with a familiar story prevented Sandler’s feminine debut from greatness. Rent it if you get bored.}

^{By the way, I’m still not a Sandler fan.}

— spencer.palmer@aggiemail.usu.edu