Rated PG for crude and sexual humor, language, comic violence and brief smoking.
Starring Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
Directed by Dennis Dugan (Just Go With It, Grown Ups Happy Gilmore)
I feel like I just fell down the hill.
Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and kids, who dreads one event each year: the Thanksgiving visit of his identical twin sister Jill (also Adam Sandler). Jill’s neediness and passive-aggressiveness is maddening to Jack, turning his normally tranquil life upside down.
The thing with Adam Sandler films is simply this: if you like him, you like the movie…if you don’t like him, you won’t like the movie…and in this case it’s a double dose of Adam Sandler. That’s right, the two main characters are Adam Sandler. And one of them is outright awful.
The second thing to consider is the content. Some Sandler films push the envelope (Zohan) and then there are others that are fun for most of the family (Bedtime Stories and Grown Ups). I did say most.
While I generally like Sandler and his films, this one was awful. Jill is meant to be annoying and irritating and that may be the only thing they got right. Unfortunately, who wants to see an annoying and irritating character for almost 2 hours?
There were a few laughs (most of which you have probably seen in the trailer) and the others were too much of a cliché to invoke real laugh out loud moments. In short, it’s a lazy attempt for some cheap laughs.
There is a small bright spot – Al Pacino…especially the commercial at the end. He has some good laughs and plays the crazy celebrity to a tee. But the best part is spotting all the cameos…and there are some great cameos…from all of Sandler’s friends and stars of his previous films, to some very familiar faces.
But we all know cameos can’t save a movie…to me it’s a “Coaster.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Believe it or not, this Sandler movie is actually rated PG. But there still are a few crude jokes and some sexual humor.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: The theme throughout this movie centers on the relationship between Jack and Jill. Jill drives Jack crazy and makes his life miserable. But at the end, Jack finally shows that despite all her quirkiness, he does in fact love her.
Do you have people on your life who drive you crazy?
How do you generally respond to them?
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Read Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
Have you ever heard or thought that it would be “OK” to ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy?
How do you feel when you hear Jesus say that he wants us to love our enemies?
What does Jesus tell us to do for those who hurt us?
What do you think the phrase “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” means?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: Praying for those who persecute you is just one way to love your enemies. What are some others?
What’s one thing you can do this week to show love to your enemies?
