Stuck on You (2003)

★★★
The Farrelly brothers hit a small road bump with Shallow Hal, but with Stuck on You, they're back in top form. Peter and Bobby have had a great amount of success with their comedies, starting with Dumb and Dumber in 1994. They're showing no signs of slowing down.

Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear star as Bob and Walt—brothers with an unusual characteristic. The two are conjoined twins and are literally joined at the hip. They own their own diner in Martha's Vineyard. Walt is an aspiring actor and often acts in local plays. Bob is more into sports, but he has no dreams of leaving the Vineyard. He is very content to remain in his hometown and operate the diner. When Walt wants to achieve more with his life, he decides to head for Hollywood and try his luck as a real actor.

Walt isn't the only one with a reason to head west. Bob met a girl online, and she just happens to live in Hollywood. He is nervous about meeting her, but Walt—being better with the ladies—gives her a call. May (Wen Yann Shih) comes over, but Bob does not reveal the fact that he's a conjoined twin. Meanwhile, Walt, with Bob in tow, finds an agent and tries his hand at acting. While wandering around the studio lot, they run into Cher, playing herself. She's signed on to do a new series, but she hates it. Desperate to get out of the contract, she hires Walt to be her costar, hoping that conjoined twins will ruin the show.

The movie takes every opportunity to view the brothers' situation as conjoined twins with humor. Everyday activities like sleeping and taking a shower take on new definitions here. This is more than a one-joke movie. There is real heart in the film, and while the script goes for laughs often, a serious side emerges. The Farrellys look closely at the plight of these brothers and reveal that there are complexities that exist for them outside of physical boundaries. Bob and Walt are unique individuals with different interests. They've learned to live with their attachment, but nothing can fix their contrasting dreams and desires. Simple things like hobbies and relationships are difficult to manage.

Stuck on You is consistently funny. The Farrellys often deal with disabilities in their movies in a sensitive yet humorous manner and without ever taking their jokes too far. I appreciate their ability to remain tactful in their approach, whereas someone else might go for obvious jokes to get cheap laughs. The Farrelly movies have an underlying level of high craftsmanship that balance humor and real issues with utmost respect.

© 2003 Silver Screen Reviews