Stuck On You

• Renner’s Rating
• Reel Critic Grade: B, Running Time: 128 minutes Rated: PG-13

Stuck On You is a comedy with heart —which is part of the problem. This latest offering by the taboo-inspired comedy duo of Bobby and Peter Farrelly pushes the meter right through the fun category and ends up smack in the middle of sentimentality. There are laughs to be had and the film does garner points for caring, but there is little of the raw politically-incorrect humor found in earlier Farrelly brother films such as Something About Mary or Me, Myself, and Irene.

Stuck On You follows the story of Walt (Greg Kinnear) and Bob (Matt Damon) Tenor, conjoined twins living in Martha’s Vineyard. They share a liver and a patch of skin above the waistline. Since Bob has most of the liver, Walt has aged more quickly and looks the elderof the pair. The liver disparity also makes separating them a risk; Walt’s odds of survival would only be 50-50.

The Tenors own a joint called Quickee burger. They guarantee your order in less than three minutes or it’s on the house. Needless to say, they don’t give out many free meals. Walt and Bob are like a pair of synchronized swimmers in the kitchen, skillfully cranking out each order with time to spare.

Even though they move as one, Walt and Bob are as different as chocolate and vanilla. Walt is confident and gregarious, while Bob is self-conscious and shy. This is merely, who they are and the Farrellys are careful not to focus the movie on the potential conflict generated by this fact. Instead, Walt and Bob are sincere in their desire to ensure their differences don’t hold either of them back. In one hilarious scene, Walt is performing a one-man-show about Truman Capote, while Bob sweats buckets trying to keep his stage-fright under control.

Bob is content with the life they live on Martha’s Vineyard. Walt, however, is not. He wants to move to Los Angeles and take a shot at a real acting career. With a little prodding, Bob agrees to the change of scenery.

In LA, their lives change. With Walt’s surprise success (thanks to some help from Cher), Bob becomes a cumbersome accessory. The same is true of Walt when Bob finally meets and starts to date his long-time-internet-chat-pal, May (Wen Yann Shih). The once inseparable duo decides on a course of action that will change their lives forever and force them to realize that sticking together isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Greg Kinnear is perfect as the “older” Walt. His likable face and easy, almost perpetual, smile draws you in and makes it effortless to laugh at his antics. Matt Damon’s Bob, however, seemed a little strained at times. He wasn’t comfortable in his character’s skin and it showed. Relative new comer, Eva Mendez, who plays lingerie model and wanna-be-actress, April, does a fine job in her first comedy roll. It’s not a roll with a lot of deapth, but she plays it well. Wen Yann Shih, on the other hand, made it apparent she doesn’t have many screen credits to her name.

In addition to the main cast, the Farrelly brothers keep with their tradition of casting a few physically and/or mentally challenged actors. The most screen time was given to Ray “Rocket” Valliere who plays a waiter at Quickee Burger. It’s nice to see every-day roles given to individuals that society too often calls “different.”

The Farrelly brothers haven’t made a bad film here, just a different film for them and one that misses the comedy bull’s-eye. Their earlier movies were full of irreverent and off-handed humor, which audiences have come to associate with the Farrelly name. It was always fun to watch them poke fun at subjects and situations that few would dare to tackle. Stuck On You deviates from this formula with a gentler and more acceptable brand of humor. It also trades laughs for sentiment, which is never a good sign for a comedy film. I’m stuck on the old Farrelly films.