Unzertrennlich

*** out of ****

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. The Farrelly Brothers had to mature (somewhat) at some point and make a film that didn't rely on sex or gross-out jokes. That is apparently the case with Stuck On You, the Farrellys latest and tamest, but it's also one of their sweetest and funniest films to date.

Bob and Walt Tenor (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) are conjoined twins who've spent their whole lives in Martha's Vineyard. Bob is the owner of a burger restaurant and Walt is an actor who performs plays for the town's audience, but he has bigger ambitions; he wants to be a Hollywood actor, much to the chagrin of Bob, who suffers from a distinct case of stagefright. But after some discussion and compromise, they agree to move to L.A. and start a new life for themselves.

Upon arrival, Bob and Walt meet the friendly but ditzy April (Eva Mendes), one of their neighbors in the apartment they've just moved into. Bob even meets his internet pen-pal May (Wen Yann Shih), but because he's never told her he has a conjoined twin, he has to "bring" along Walt on their first date together. As for Walt's Hollywood dreams, after some initial lack of success, he's chosen by Cher herself to co-star with her on her new show, "Honey and the Beaze," in an attempt by Cher to sabotage her own series. But the show is an unexpected success thanks to Walt's burgeoning popularity, which puts a crimp in his relationship with Bob.

Reviewing comedies has always been a bit difficult for me, which is why I usually stick to the stuff that I find easier to write about (action/adventure, horror, drama, anything but comedy), but given all the knocks this film has taken (particularly the fact that barely anybody saw it in theaters) I felt a slight sense of obligation to mention that Stuck On You is the funniest and most touching comedy I've seen in recent memory.

This is not to say that the film always had me choking with laughter (though a scene involving a guy in front of his typewriter did get the biggest laugh out of me all year), but rather that it consistently delivered smiles, chuckles, and solid laughs without ever bogging down, no easy feat for a movie that runs for just under two hours.

Aside from the lack of sexual humor, there's a major difference between the style of comedy the Farrellys employ here than in some of their prior films. Whereas many their previous works have often made fun of the people that suffer from certain "disorders," Stuck On You presents us with two friendly, easy-going guys who've grown accustomed to their situation and choose not to see their conjoined liver as a handicap. Rather, the film derives its humor from the way "outsiders" view their condition.

In the film's two lead roles, Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear boast the kind of comic chemistry that most actors can only dream of. Damon, in particular, excels by taking the more "straight man" role, where he's not actually aiming for any laughs but still gets them anyway, maybe even more than the typically hilarious Kinnear. Watching these two guys stuck together reminds me why I find them two of the most likable actors in Hollywood, even when most of Kinnear's characters are generally abrasive losers (but not in this case). It is, in fact, Damon and Kinnear that make the film as wonderfully entertaining as it is. Had not even half of the jokes worked as well as they did, their performances would still warrant this movie a passable recommendation.

Stuck On You doesn't always juggle its various subplots perfectly; while Wen Yann Shih does play well into the film, a lot of brief cameos and a wide assortment of characters aren't meshed in as well. Worst of all is Cher, who's neither funny nor particularly convincing as the "bitch" she's made out to be. I have no idea if this says more about her personality or her acting skills.

Most of the Farrellys comedies generally tend to dissipate in the last half-hour or so, replacing its humor with more sincere attempts at trying to make their irascible and/or "cad-like" protagonists learn a lesson or two. The magic of Stuck On You is that its protagonists are always the same throughout, making no genuine "it's a miracle!" revelations about themselves at the last minute; after all, brotherly love is still brotherly love.

When the last twenty minutes threaten to devolve into sentimental clap-trap, the Farrellys punch in the necessary humor that defuses any of the building sap (spoiler:I think my favorite scene in the whole film is when Bob and Walt re-unite after parting their separate ways, in a scene that's both hilarious and touching), making the film sweet without getting too sweet. The Farrellys have made a lot of funny movies, but this is the first of theirs I can recommend to just about anyone.

To be honest, I am still a little amazed at how much I liked this film. I resisted seeing it for a long time because the concept sounded so offensive. But offensive is the last word I would use to describe this movie. Hilarious would be more accurate. The conjoined twin thing never feels like fodder for cheap jokes. Yes, it plays prominently in the plot, but it just never feels like you are laughing at them, only with them. There is genuine affection for the two main characters, played expertly by Damon and Kinnear, that really shines thru. To be absolutely honest, a lot of what makes this film so incredible is hard (for me, at least) to describe. All I can say is that it's funny, it's touching, it's a bit of Farrelly brothers magic. See it, you won't regret it.

I went into the cinema with friends and said: "It's a Farrelly Brothers film; you can guess the level of humour." There's Something About Mary I love, but let's face it -- the humour is quite crass, even if the movie does have some heart. So I expected another movie with jokes in bad taste, and lots of humour at the expense of conjoined twins. At least this is how the film has marketed it. However, it couldn't be further from the truth. What has been marketed is quite different to what the film is about.

Whilst the film does have humour -- some movements hilariously funny -- this film is at heart a light drama. And this is by certainly no means a bad thing. When I expected low-IQ humour, what I got was just a really engrossing tale of two brothers who just happen to be conjoined. The chemistry between Damon and Kinnear is just perfect, and the relationship between the brothers (no doubt written from experience by the Farrelly Brothers) was wonderful.

Fox's marketing treatment of the film is appalling. In the trailer, Matt Damon's character says: "We're not Siamese, we're American," and the trailer plays it like he is stupid. Whereas in fact, when watching the film, the context is very different -- he's reacting with indignation, and in defence of their conjoined nature. This is indicative of the entire film. Never is their conjoined-nature used for humour in a bad way.

Throw away what you've seen in the trailers, or what you think the film is about. Go and see this movie that has its heart so very much in the right place -- a great antidote to so many Hollywood films that have the soul of a stone. I don't normally get sentimental with films. I'm the type of viewer that laughs when Jack dies at the end of Titanic. But I went away from Stuck On You knowing I'd seen a very special film indeed. Highly recommended.

The Farrelly Brothers' "Stuck On You" is sincere drama with lots of heart -- of course, along with their smart quips and earnest observations not diminishing. I even gone teary-eyed towards the end. Bobby and Peter Farrelly brothers wrote, directed and produced this movie and they are never sloppy. There is much attention to detail and exudes empathy and earnestness. (I'd say their 2001 production of "Shallow Hal," with Jack Black and Gwenyth Paltrow, contained moments of poignancy also.)

Watching Matt Damon (as Bob) and Greg Kinnear (as Walt) single-handedly flipping burgers and buns in syncopated rhythm -- 'tis an acrobatic act in itself! (The art of 'Quickie Burgers in less than 30 seconds' is such a theme!) The pairing is godsend. Both Damon and Kinnear are talented actors who had many fascinating roles. Kinnear's portrayal of Bob Crane ("Hogan's Heroes") in Paul Schrader's "Auto Focus" 2002 has pretty much established him -- since his debut role in Sydney Pollack's remake of "Sabrina" 1995 and coming through acting opposite Jack Nicholson in Albert Brooks' "As Good As It Gets" 1997 -- as one who can handle roles in depth. Damon, besides his writing quality, has shown his versatile capability in Ed Zwick's "Courage Under Fire" 1996 (psychological/military), John Dahl's "Rounders" 1998 (intense/suspense), Kevin Smith's "Dogma" 1999 (fun/satire), Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" 1999 (multiple personality/mystery), Billy Bob Thornton's "All the Pretty Horses" 2000 (romance/western), Doug Liman's "The Bourne Identity" 2002 (action/thriller), Steven Soderbergh's remake of "Ocean Eleven" (ensemble cast/heist), and Gus Van Sant's "Gerry" 2002 (mystical/hypnotic) which Damon scripted and acted with Casey Affleck -- yes, he can handle any role, indeed.

The story introduces, matter of factly, the things these two stuck together brothers do in their everyday life -- it's down to earth and comes across downright normal. The plot evolves when Walt wants to pursue his acting career, just like any Hollywood dreams and Bob wants his brother to succeed. The Farrelly brothers can sure weave a heartwarming story, and here they follow through the emotional curve and happenings (cause and consequences) between these two brothers, and their friends and neighbors along the way. It's a thoughtful and creative script, and the brothers (almost a pun here) manage to include a musical, too. Cher is in a supporting role playing her fun self. The two corresponding girl friend roles are played delightfully by Eva Mendes as April, and tenderly by Wen Yann Shih as May. Veteran actor Seymour Cassel has a riotous time with his wig. There's a heartfelt cameo by Meryl Streep -- it's beyond being brief. The use of songs and lyrics was complementary to the various moods at hand. (Gilbert O'Sullivan's 1970 hit "Alone Again, Naturally" included.) From the production notes, we learned that the conjoint-ness was made possible by a makeup team led by Tony Gardner, special makeup designer, who collaborated with the Farrelly's before -- he enabled Gwenyth Paltrow's 300-lbs physique in "Shallow Hal". Damon and Kinnear were 'stuck together' 14 hours a day for 3 months. It is amazing how Farrelly brothers and their capable filmmaking friends and collaborators realized this genuinely caring human drama-comedy. It's guaranteed enjoyable movie experience for everyone.

Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnear) are conjoined twins (joined at their lower trunks--they share a liver) from Massachusetts. They own a burger joint named "Quickie Burger" and Walt has a love of acting. Walt decides to move to California to try his luck at the big time, and although Bob is initially reluctant, he also has a beautiful "Internet pal" in California who he's been talking to for more than three years.

Compared to some of directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly's other films, such as Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, and Me, Myself And Irene, we could say that the humor in Stuck On You is much more subtle. That fact may be off-putting to viewers who come to Stuck On You primarily as fans of the Farrelly Brothers' previous work. There are still outrageous gags here, but they tend to be funnier if you exercise your intellect a bit, and believe it or not they are more rooted in reality than some other Farrelly Brothers films. If you are familiar with Daisy and Violet Hilton's story, for example--they were infamous sideshow performers who were conjoined twins--you'll note similarities, such as how they approached relationships with persons of the opposite sex.

Like much of the Farrelly Brothers other work, however, Stuck On You is as heartwarming as funny, and on one level, it's primarily a very odd romance film. It also seems that perhaps this is the most personal of their films so far, and it may very well be a depiction of their love for each other as brothers. That also gives Stuck On You a slightly more serious edge, but one that works very well. This is a quality drama in addition to being a comedy leaning towards absurdism. That may sound like a strange combination, but it flowed smoothly for me as a viewer.

The performances by Damon and Kinnear are on target, and their love interests, May (Wen Yann Shih) and April (Eva Mendes) are intriguing and not at all clichéd. The extended cameos by Cher and Meryl Streep, as themselves, are very entertaining, and the supporting cast is excellent.