Stuck on You Reviews

Two heads aren't necessarily better than one, as sibling directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly's tag-team effort to make a sentimental comedy about conjoined twins proves. Connected at the waist from birth, Walt (Greg Kinnear) and Bob Tenor (Matt Damon) couldn't be more different but must spend every moment of their lives together. Well-spoken Walt is a sharp-dressed Casanova, while athletic but retiring Bob is prone to panic attacks. They work at their own greasy spoon, Quickee Burger, in picturesque Martha's Vineyard, but Walt's success in a local production of Tru — Jay Presson Allen's one-man show about Truman Capote — inspires dreams of Hollywood success. Not wanting to hold his brother back, Bob agrees to go to California, simultaneously anticipating and dreading a face-to-face meeting with his Los Angeles-based Internet girlfriend, May (Wen Yann Shih). Some Angelenos, like perky aspiring actress/lingerie model April (Eva Mendes), take to the odd couple on sight. But casting directors can't see past the conjoined thing; Walt is rejected repeatedly and, in desperation, hires April's sleazy former agent, Morty (Seymour Cassel). Morty can only get Walt a part in an adult film, and the dejected duo is just about to throw in the towel when the brothers run into Cher. She's looking to break the contract that binds her to a starring role in a TV series called "Honey and the Beaze," and figures adding real conjoined twins to the show will sink ratings and set her free. Naturally, Walt is an instant success. Meanwhile, Bob's attachment to his brother threatens his budding relationship with May. Their conflicting desires force the siblings to consider separation, but Bob's body houses the lion's share of their joint liver. Are fame and love worth risking Walt's life? Though not literally attached at the hip, the Farrellys have taken up the banner of representing disabled and handicapped people in a positive light, which mostly means that they're the butt of exactly the same gross-out and slapstick gags as everyone else. Here the message — it's not nice to ridicule, mistreat or ignore people just because they're different — verges on the oppressive; more of the Farrellys' trademark over-the-top comedy would have lightened the load. Nevertheless, Kinnear and Damon's good-natured performances are charmingly light — despite the fact that they're practically on top of each other — and Cher and Meryl Streep poke fun at their respective celebrity personas with aplomb.