If it wasn't bad enough that Adam Sandler was part of the production team that forced Bucky Larson on the world earlier this year, he's back today with Jack and Jill, which heads to the Eddie Murphy's un-funny years school of comedy that if you like an actor, you'll love that guy dressed up in women's clothes being extra-obnoxious.
I had a whole bit ready to go for this post where I asked if a critic would be brave enough to give Jack and Jill a good review, believing that the movie was doomed to the same universal panning that Bucky Larson received - after all, the trailer features a kid punching a woman in the face (well, Sandler in unconvincing drag) played for laughs - thinking that it would be impossible that any critic regarded competent enough to merit inclusion on the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes wouldn't possibly think the movie is worth seeing, but then there's Michael A. Smith of website Media Mikes.
What's mystifying is that Smith gives the film 3 out of 5 stars, but doesn't actually seem to like it, which makes the whole rating movies on a scale sort of useless, but maybe he's thinking 3 out of 5 means 60%, which is a D at most schools. Otherwise, I have no idea why he would seemingly endorse a movie that he describes using this paragraph:
A one note joke that runs an hour and a half, “Jack and Jill” gives Sandler the chance to use the same “funny lady” voice that he used on his early comedy CDs. With his high pitched whine you almost expect to hear Jill proclaim, “they’re all gonna laugh at you,” or perhaps implore you to “play with your cock and balls for mama.” Along the way we meet many of the Sandler comedy troupe, including Allen Covert, who appears to be channeling the homeless man turned caddie he played in “Happy Gilmore.” Along with the regulars are some fun bits from such well known people as Jared from Subway and Vince, the Shamwow! Guy. We are also joined by his two young children: a young boy adopted from India when less than two weeks old and a little girl who is always curiously dressed exactly as her doll. The boy has discovered scotch tape and it’s fun to see what household item he’ll apply to his body next.
According to Smith, the movie is seemingly worth seeing for Al Pacino's performance in which he gets a chance to make fun of the Academy Awards and sing a selection from Man of La Mancha. Can you imagine the hilarity? I can't, but I'm not going to go see the movie to illuminate the mystery.
So, for now, Jack and Jill manages a 2% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's not the worst movie of the year, but it's very, very close.