While it looked pretty appalling on paper (Adam Sandler produces? Rob Schneider stars?) this film actually turned out to be pretty funny. It's not going to win any taste awards and it mocks those who are handicapped to quite an extreme degree but hey, it's a film for God's sake! Following the plot outline regularly used by ex-SNL stars of a loser being thrust into something cool (Think Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade etc) it has Schneider starring as the aforementioned Deuce Bigalow, the best damn pool cleaner in America.
Unsurprisingly he's a pathetic dork but after a chance encounter with the suave, handsome Antoine (Oded Fehr of The Mummy fame) he ends up staying in his fantastic apartment looking after his sick fish. Things start to go wrong quite quickly and Deuce needs money fast, where else to get it than 'man-whoring', as the film puts it. This is where all the humour lies as Deuce escorts one freak after another until he meets the amazing, and surely perfect Kate.
Any and all attempts to make this film a 'love against the odds' style production fail miserably but Schneider is excellent and given some fine support by Eddie Griffin as his pimp T.J, who gets all the best lines, and William Forsythe as the weird cop hellbent on nailing 'he-bitch' Antoine. Still, the romance angle works better than in the typical Sandler-esque fare and if it wasn't for the brilliant Happy Gilmore this would be the best yet produced. Sadly it's too predictable and for once I'd like a little originality in the plot, is that too much too ask? Funny, but as low-brow as you can get. |
