Review: Just Go With It

It's been a while since I've reviewed a film here on Magic Lantern, but rest assured it hasn't been for lack of movie-watching. I've certainly seen movies over the last few months that are better than Just Go With It, however it just so happens I've been blessed with time this Family Day weekend, and feel like contributing my two cents.

Anyone who has seen the trailer for this movie knows the premise. Adam Sandler plays a wealthy plastic surgeon who uses a phoney "my wife is an evil bitch" sob story to pick up chicks and have all the one night stands he wants without the consequences. He finally falls for a hot 23-year-old named Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), and ends up having to weave a tricky mess of lies involving his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), who stands in as the fake ex, and her two children. They all end up in Hawaii and things unfold in a pleasingly predictable fashion.

This movie was exactly what I needed this weekend, what with the -20 degree windchill outside and a scratchy discomfort at the back of my throat, foretelling yet another illness in the making. Images of beautiful people outside in the sunshine, their bare skin kissed by benign breezes and the refreshing waters of the South Pacific bring me great joy this time of year.

And the movie itself isn't half bad. It's genuinely funny in parts, and I and my companion laughed out loud on numerous occasions. Jennifer Aniston is intensely likeable in most everything she does - even the not-so-great films - and her chemistry with Adam Sandler is definitely what carries this movie.

Oh, and Dave Matthews and Nicole Kidman randomly show up halfway through the movie, making for an amusing twist and ensuing situational comedy.

I really have nothing bad to say about Just Go With It. It knows what it is and succeeds at achieving the desired effect. And it's just what the doctor ordered for late February in Canada.

P.S. I am aware that all my blog posts, columns and conversations over the past couple months have somehow involved my hatred of winter and how I'm dealing with it. I can't help it. I promise it will stop as soon as I can regularly go outside without wanting to immediately seek shelter.