There are those who will see Judd Apatow's name on the writing credits and expect something better than the usual Adam Sandler oeuvre. This, let me warn you, is a set-up for disappointment.
I went through a period of heavy admiration for his work when I was at the target age (12-15). But this is the first Sandler flick I've seen since Anger Management, and not much has changed since that movie came out four years ago. The jokes are juvenile and over-the- top, SNL alums show up in cameos at random, and the story-line is secondary to beating running gags to death.
I admit that I really enjoyed the movie for about thirty minutes: the laughs came consistently, there was a lot of over-the-top action, and as well as partially witty dialog. But the whole thing went stale as it developed tried to develop a love story between Sandler and a Palestinian salon owner.
Another thing that bothered me is the disregard for the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I'm not one to expect political commentary in even the dumbest of comedies, but an entire film that touches hot-button issue should offer something in addition to big-penis jokes. Couldn't they have taken a page from South Park's book?
The climax was more in tune with opening: lots of silly action, and some empty laughs. But it wasn't good enough to make me forgive the tedious and overlong second act.
I went through a period of heavy admiration for his work when I was at the target age (12-15). But this is the first Sandler flick I've seen since Anger Management, and not much has changed since that movie came out four years ago. The jokes are juvenile and over-the- top, SNL alums show up in cameos at random, and the story-line is secondary to beating running gags to death.
I admit that I really enjoyed the movie for about thirty minutes: the laughs came consistently, there was a lot of over-the-top action, and as well as partially witty dialog. But the whole thing went stale as it developed tried to develop a love story between Sandler and a Palestinian salon owner.
Another thing that bothered me is the disregard for the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I'm not one to expect political commentary in even the dumbest of comedies, but an entire film that touches hot-button issue should offer something in addition to big-penis jokes. Couldn't they have taken a page from South Park's book?
The climax was more in tune with opening: lots of silly action, and some empty laughs. But it wasn't good enough to make me forgive the tedious and overlong second act.