Stuck on You Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)December 12th, 2003
"Stuck On You"
Conjoined at the hip twin brothers Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnear) Tenor run the popular Quickie Burger grille on Martha's Vineyard, where you can eat for free if it takes longer than three minutes to serve your order. Bob is perfectly happy to toss burgers but Walt aspires to be an actor - he wows the locals at the community theater, wants a shot at stardom and convinces Bob to go with him to Hollywood. Will Walt make it in Tinsel town? Can Bob handle the warm weather? Find out in the Farrelly brothers' "Stuck On You."
Surprise! Peter and Bobby Farrelly have succeeded in creating a funny, warm-hearted film about brotherly love. The pair, in the past, have catered to lowbrow tastes in their "Shallow Hall," "Me, Myself & Irene" and "Dumb and Dumber" with some success. "Stuck On You" also has some lowbrow humor but, because of the terrific chemistry between Damon and Kinnear, you also get a pair of 3D characters in Bob and Walt.
The physically adept performances by Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, as they must coexist in the same space all of the time, are a pleasure to watch. Whether they are making hamburgers on their two-man production line, playing goalie in a hockey game or pitching a baseball on the mound, the actors make it look real. They bicker like real brothers but watch each other's back when the chips are down, too.
When Walt receives a standing ovation from the townsfolk for his one man (well, sort of) show, "Tru," as Truman Capote, he knows he is bit by the acting bug and begs Bob to go with him (not much in the way of choice, here) to LA for his shot at fame. His brother reluctantly agrees and the joined pair head for sunny California. They rent an efficiency apartment at the Rising Star Motel and meet their sexy neighbor April (Eva Mendes) who puts Walt in touched with her grumpy old agent Morty O'Reilly (Seymour Cassel). The first job he lands for his client turns out to be a porno film.
As luck would have it, Walt (and Bob) meet superstar Cher who is desperately trying to get out of a lame TV series contract. Since she has casting approval for the show, she has the bright idea to insist on Walt as her costar on "Honey and the Beaz." The network honchos know she is trying to bilk them so they go along with her choice. Things are rocky at first but the obvious technical problems are solved and the show is a surprise hit. But, Bob is getting homesick and he, finally, agrees to Walt's insistence that they be separated, even if Walt only has a 50-50 chance to survive. They have the operation and go their now-unconnected ways, with Walt pursuing his dream and Bob going home with his pen pal girlfriend May (Wen Yann Shih). But, they soon learn there is more than just the nine inches of flesh that bonded them together.
I was totally surprised at how down right entertaining "Stuck On You" turned out to be. I am not really a fan of the usual sophomoric humor dished out by the Farrelly boys so my expectations were pretty low going in. Almost immediately, Bob and Walt prove to be fully developed characters as they meet the challenges of their high turnover restaurant. We come to find out, through flashback, that the Tenor twins have an accomplished athletic past and are local legends. When Walt makes his future plans known, the entire town is behind him - and you believe it.
Besides the wonderful performances by Damon and Kinnear, both physically and emotionally, there is a host of game players providing support. Seymour Cassel, as the grizzled, out of touch Morty is a riot every minute he is on the screen, whether he is wearing a horrendous toupee at a business meet or chasing after his clients on his motorized wheelchair. Cher does a good turn as the demanding superstar fallen on hard times. Meryl Streep also appears as herself and, as always, proves to be a classy lady. Eva Mendes is adorably perky as the boys' newfound friend April.
Of the techs the makeup F/X are the most laudable. The fleshy connection between Bob and Walt, designed by Tony Gardner, looks believable, as it should when taking 12 hours to apply. Dan Mindel's camera captures the manic life of the conjoined brothers.
The Farrelly brothers' script plays up the brotherly relationship surprisingly well. There is a lot of real sentiment delivered and, with Damon and Kinnear, they make it into something a big cut above their usual gross out slapstick. There are the expected goofy elements, like when Walt tells Bob that he can't run away (he can't, though he tries) or when Bob tells a phone caller that "Walt isn't here."
There are more laughs than not and a whole lot of heart. I give "Stuck On You" a B.
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