Moronic. Jack and Jill is Adam Sandler’s ultimate sink low movie, bereft of maturity. This time, Sandler appears in the benign but obscene sight of him in drag as Jill, the twin sister to Jack. A few more pounds and Sandler could have looked like Gary Busey in his brief drag stint in “Under Siege” (1992), but of course, more Pollyanna like. But this comedy is one long whine, a repetitive routine of hissy-fits followed by reconcilable embraces between brother and sister. As for the brother, Jack is simply the ordinary Adam Sandler personality – the rich guy with an easy job, loads of money, and a pretty wife and rascals for kids. The ridiculousness for this concept is patented, but what keeps it from being entertaining is that the comedy doesn’t liberate into sinuous ridiculousness – it is sappy, monotonous, and yes, rock bottom in story stupidity.
You actually beg for more foray into hideous burlesque and ridiculousness, anything to keep it from being boring. The cameos are supposed to occupy your interest, Sandler and crew think (Norm McDonald, John McEnroe, Johnny Depp, Jared Fogel, etc.). Against all odds, Al Pacino, as himself, has a substantial role romancing the fidgety Jill, who perpetually plays defense in encounters with the opposite sex. He’s so hot for her that he’s willing to fly in impromptu by helicopter to pick her up. Pacino has been such a serious actor for so long that I suppose that he took upon this assignment because, 1.) He wanted easy money, and 2.) He wanted this one chance in his lifetime to be in a dumb and goofy comedy. He picked the wrong one to star in.
If Pacino is the culprit in driving Jack and Jill apart, unintentionally of course, then it is Katie Holmes as the dutiful but bland wife who constantly patches things up between them. Holmes is another invariable on-screen wife to Sandler, the woman who sees life’s difficulties in simple childlike terms and as a result gently scolds her husband for being impatient. Holmes gets some comeuppance for her over-compliance when she gets bitch-slapped by David Spade, who appears in drag. You might have thought about bringing your barf bag along, but think blindfold for yourself instead.
90 Minutes. Rated PG-13.
GOOFY COMEDY / RUDE HUMOR / WEEKEND VIEWING DEBAUCHERY
Film Cousins: “Some Like It Hot” (1959); “Tootsie” (1982); “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993); “Anger Management” (2003); “Funny People” (2009).
