Stuck On You
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: A- Film: B-
Here
we have the latest Farrelly Brother’s movie. A comedy that is best when you forget how
formulaic it really is for this team of moviemakers. They have had many more standout jokes in the
past, but their movies have always been hit or miss affair. Just look at Kingpin (something you
should find sitting in a bargain DVD bin) and Something About
Mary (possibly the best from the brothers - hopefully its fate remains away
from those same bins). Now, we get Stuck On You (2003).
I
will admit to being somewhat surprised by this movie. After initially seeing the ads, it seemed to
me like this may have been the recycled further adventures of Harry and Lloyd
from Dumb And Dumber, proving their stupidity by getting stuck together.
However, Bob and Walt are clearly
distanced from the aforementioned characters. Their disability is something they’ve grown to
live with over time (and even use to their advantage in most situations),
rather than something sprung onto them that they’d be forced to cope with and
resolve.
Matt
Damon and Greg Kinnear make this movie fun to watch, even though laughs take a
backseat to the storytelling. Unable to
separate from one another without a life risk, Bob and Walt Tenor remain
conjoined. This doesn’t stop them from
living life to the fullest, and neither holds the other one back from their
goals in life. While they both seem to
have a knack for sports, Bob edges out on top in this area. Walt, on the other hand, has a love for the
theater and wishes to branch out to Hollywood. Here they meet an array of famous faces and
Walt happens into a starring role on a new TV show.
I
do appreciate the story for being something different - it’s a rare thing for
lighthearted movies to touch on disabilities. I don’t see any problems when these movies are
made - usually it does no damage to anyone actually in the situations. One recent movie that received some backlash
from certain groups because of its content was Bubble Boy. I can safely say that the movie was in no way
offensive or derogatory to anyone confined to plastic enclosures. Yet, there were some overly sensitive
audiences who took it as poking fun at the expense of those in a similar
plight. To my knowledge, nothing along
those lines has happened with this film, but you can see why there is less
incentive for studios to fund something that could upset some potential
audience members.
As
far as the quality of the disc itself, the picture and sound aren’t quite optimal.
When you consider that this is a new,
major studio DVD presented in widescreen; the picture lacks the greater
definition you might expect. The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image has dulled colors and detail limits,
while the Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 mix is not as clear as the sound mix was
theatrically either.
The
bonus features meet the usual standards; though the commentary track doesn’t
serve much of a purpose, other than to name most of the extras in the cast
during any given scene. Those who aren’t
connected to someone involved in the film can skip listening to it without
worry. One interesting thing pointed out
on the commentary track is a ghostly face that can be found under the bed
during the opening scene. If your screen
is set a bit dark, it’ll take some searching to find it. It seems that it was inserted as a gag, but
people can draw their own conclusions.
Stuck On You isn’t the wreck some make it out to be. There is
an audience for this film, and I think that most people will enjoy it on some
level. If you can’t stand the brother’s
other movies out there, don’t expect to be swayed in favor of them with this
movie. I, myself, never had a problem
with the team until recently hearing that they’ll be responsible for whatever
comes from the new take on The Three Stooges. Let’s collectively hope that they don’t
destroy a comedy classic by forging it into something entirely different than
the original.
- David Milchick
