Get An Opinion

November 25, 2011

Jack and Jill - Review


"Burn this. Burn all copies. No one should see this."

This line comes from one Al Pacino during the closing moments of Jack and Jill, Adam Sandler's latest assault on the box office. What a fitting way to end such a horrid film. Of course, Pacino was referring to the ridiculously lame and embarrassingly unfunny commercial he starred in in the film, but in this case it also applies to this ridiculously lame and embarrassingly unfunny movie.


In Jack and Jill, Adam Sandler plays Jack Sadelstein and his identical twin sister, Jill (and already you can see the level of intelligence in this film, as this is an impossibility). Jill is obnoxious, annoying, passive-aggressive, and uniquely unfeminine in any way, shape, or form. And she happens to get on Jack's last nerve at every turn during her visit over the holidays. As the weeks drag on, however, Jack sees a business opportunity brewing in the form of Al Pacino's attraction to Jill. And thus he chooses to endure Jill's incessant nagging in order to land a commercial with Pacino.

At this moment, there are few words to describe how torturous an experience it was to sit through this atrocity. Perhaps the words I used to describe the title character are most fitting: this "film" is obnoxious, annoying, rude, and loud. I'm surprised at how many laughs it got out of the audience I shared the theater with. Every joke falls flat on it's own fat face, and you can see each one coming a mile away.

This is what you have to look forward to, ladies and gentlemen.
Please, contain your laughter.
I don't mind Adam Sandler, I really don't. He's made a couple movies that I find quite humorous, and he's usually likable enough in each one. But Jill is anything but. Her character seems to never stop talking, hoping that something funny will come out. Adam Sandler doesn't even seem to be cracking himself up with the role like he usually does. Meanwhile, Katie Holmes barely makes her presence known, as if she's embarrassed to be there (which she should). Al Pacino is the only saving grace this film gets. He plays a quite insane caricature of himself, and he's the only actor who made me smile. I admire how much he committed to the role. But it begs the question: why on earth are you in this movie?

Beyond that, the film continues to insult the audience's intelligence even more, with Sandler's typical gross out humor that just never works. Numerous scenes had the audacity to remind us that a joke was just told and that we should be laughing. And on top of that, this script asks us to feel bad for our detestable main character. The opposite actually happens and you end up caring for Jack, who spends most of the film being a jerk to Jill, more.

Movies like this baffle me beyond any measure. Who thought this was a good idea? How did this get made? And most of all, why do people find it funny? While Al Pacino steals the show and manages to get a few chuckles, this comedy, in the lowest sense of the word, is one of the most shoddily written, poorly conceived, and unbearably arduous movies in a long time. If Adam Sandler in drag appeals to you, or maybe you're just braindead, you might love Jack and Jill. For those with even half a brain cell, you will find very little worthwhile in this garbage heap of a movie.

0.5/5 Stars

1 comment:

  1. I pass on my deepest sympathies that you were forced into watching such a shit stain upon cinema. Good review though, taking a bullet for your fellow film fans. Also, if you have the time, could you follow my blog? I have a Pulp Fiction review just dying to be read...

    ReplyDelete