Just Go With It Synopsis: On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.
As with every Happy Madison Production, there are both upsides and downsides to Just Go With It. After finding out his soon-to-be bride had cheated on him, Danny Maccabee (Adam Sandler) becomes a successful surgeon in Los Angeles. To keep from getting his heart broken again, he’s developed a system to wear his wedding ring when he’s out picking up women. That way, he can enjoy a one-night stand without attachments or expectations. Then, he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a gorgeous young teacher.
They share an intimate night together, and Danny finds himself completely smitten… at least until Palmer finds his wedding ring in his pants pocket. Danny tells her that he is married but getting a divorce, and Palmer insists on meeting the ex-wife to confirm his story for herself.
Danny recruits his assistant, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), to play his soon-to-be ex-wife “Devlin,” which initially works out fine until Palmer catches on that Katherine has children… which means they must be Danny’s. The lies start to spiral out of control, ultimately leading to the family traveling to Hawaii as a “bonding” experience if Palmer and Danny are going to have a future together.
Whew! A lot happens in Just Go With It’s first 30-40 minutes to get them to Hawaii. Once they’re there, the typical Sandler-shenanigans occur. Danny has to keep up the facade of being a doting father. Katherine, as Devlin, runs into the real-life Devlin that she knew in college, and while trying to keep all of the lies straight, Danny and Katherine start to bond.
Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck are entertaining as Katherine’s children, Maggie and Michael. Maggie is desperate to be an actress, so she opts to play her role as Danny’s daughter, Kiki Dee, with a British accent. Maggie is adorable and funny… in small doses. Michael is melancholy, reminding me of the boy who played Jennifer Aniston’s son in The Switch. But I must admit, Adam Sandler has a way with kids in these movies. When they’re annoying him, it’s funny as hell. When they’re bonding, it’s really sweet.
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are the closest things to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan regarding romantic comedy chemistry. But I think Jennifer Aniston may give Drew some competition. Along with Murder Mystery (Netflix), I do enjoy Sandler and Aniston on screen together. I think they play very well off of one another, and surprisingly, I can buy that Aniston would fall in love with him.
To be honest, these two made Just Go With It so enjoyable for me. The humor is ridiculous and silly, and it doesn’t always work. Before Danny becomes a plastic surgeon, he shows up in the movie with a ginormous nose that looks like a caricature artist created it, and there’s a pointless scene with Nick Swardson and a sheep. So, while there are parts of the movie I found really entertaining, plenty of moments also had me rolling my eyes. Sometimes slapstick works, sometimes it doesn’t, and I don’t think it works very well here.
Just Go With It isn’t a modern rom-com classic by any means. It’s not even a great one, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it enough, and sometimes, that’s all that matters when you’re watching a movie, especially one with Adam Sandler.
Watched: 07/19/2021
Notable Song: Every Breath You Take by The Police
