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Stuck on You
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Stuck on You
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Review by George O. Singleton
for Reel Movie Critic
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HHH½
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Gregg Kinnear
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Walt
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Matt Damon
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Bob
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Seymour Cassel
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Morty
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Meryl Streep
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Herself
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Eva Mendes
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April
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Cher
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Herself
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May
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Wen Yann Shih
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Directed by Bobby & Peter Farrelly. Comedy. PG 13 for crude and sexual humor, and some language. 20th Century Fox. Running time 118 minutes.
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Walt and Bob (Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon) are twin brothers, who live on Martha's Vineyard and run a fast food joint called Quikee Burger. When you place your order, the waitress starts a timer and if your meal is not served within three minutes, dinner is on the house.
Not only are the brothers twins, but they are conjoined at the side, with Bob having most of their liver. If an operation is done to separate them, it's a low risk situation for Bob but a high one for Walt as he only has a 50% chance of survival.
The brothers have learned to live with their unique situation. Many, if not most, will see them as having a disability, but that is not the case. Everyone is different and that's all they really are. Making hamburgers in less than three minutes, properly cooked of course, is choreographed like a theatrical production that's been a long running Broadway play. Bob may have trouble picking up a woman in a bar but Walt will have her home for sex within the hour with Bob close by, but appropriately out of the way.
Right off we are introduced to a lot of funny stuff, and we see beneath the surface humor some quite serious situations, without being preached at. Those who are not normal can do normal things and if they are seen as freaks, are they?
Walt is an aspiring actor, whose local plays are supported by their extended family much like parents applaud at their eight-year-old child's holiday program at school. Bob has stage fright as he tries to be invisible while Walt is acting.
The routine of a three-minute burger life becomes so boring that Walt asks Bob to support his desire to become a Hollywood actor. Bob is reluctant but agrees to give it a try. Soon the two are in La La land, living at the Rising Star Apartments, where they meet April (Eva Mendes), an aspiring actress. With her Victoria's Secret, perfectly formed, silicone-injected breasts, she tells Walter when working a crossword puzzle that the 3-letter word for man's best friend is not "dog."
Walt gets turned down again and again for desirable acting roles. When he accidentally meets Cher on the back lot of a studio, she sees him as a way of getting out of a contract she can't break, and the film becomes funny in ways the preview trailer can't pick up on.
The film is much more than a two-hour running joke about the trials and tribulations of conjoined twins. It's really about knowing who you are, what you want to do, and how to make the best of your life. Making effective use of this Oscar winning cast, the Farrelly Brothers show that they can work with more than slap stick humor. Don't miss one of the best comedies of the year.
George O. Singleton © 2003
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