Film Review: Adam Sandler Sticks to Formula in ‘Jack and Jill’

CHICAGO – No one will ever accuse Adam Sandler of not knowing his audience and the reason they keep coming back to his “Happy Madison” genre of films – he delivers the oddball characters, lots of bodily fluids/sounds, physical beatings and the know-it-all straight man. Add the gooey sentiment and out spews the latest, “Jack and Jill.”

Rating: 2.5/5.0

There are ardent admirers of the Sandler style, his films are huge successes. Someday he will go to the well once too often, or will get too old to get a shot in the groin, but for now “Jack and Jill” is going up the box office hill. Sandler also has crossed into the movie comic’s go-to character, a dual role as a woman (in drag). There is no nuance as he plays the twins named Jack and Jill, but nobody goes to an Adam Sandler film for subtlety.

Sandler is Jack Sadelstein, a high level (and rich) partner at a Los Angeles advertising firm. With Thanksgiving coming up, he makes his holiday plans, which includes hosting his twin sister from the Bronx, Jill (Sandler, again). There is a wrench in these plans in the form of Dunkin Donuts, one of Jack’s biggest clients. It seems they want to have Al Pacino (playing himself) as the spokesperson for their new “Dunkaccino” (product placement) and Jack is not sure he can make it happen.

When Jill arrives on Thanksgiving, she is an obnoxious lout (surprise!), and excretes many bodily fluids. She also is depressed without a man, and wants to extend her stay to find one. Through a set of circumstances that involves Johnny Depp, Al Pacino develops a crush on her. Pacino tells Jack if he can deliver Jill, he will do the ad for Dunkin Donuts. Regrettably, Jill is also pursued by Jack’s gardener, Felipe (Eugenio Derbez), and this puts everything into a quandary. Hopefully a shot in the groin or Adam Sandler acting desperately inappropriate as Jack or Jill will lift all boats in this situation.

“Jack and Jill” opens everywhere on November 11th. Featuring Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Tim Meadows, Nick Swardson, Drew Carey, Johnny Depp, Eugenio Derbez and Katie Holmes. Screenplay by Steve Koren, story by Ben Zook. Directed by Dennis Dugan. Rated “PG”