Movie Review

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalo is a flick that I honestly was expecting to walk out of twenty minutes through, if not even sooner (which, if you consider the running time ? 77 minutes, would?ve already been about a third of it). I didn?t mind making that judgment, as I saw it for free and would?ve just headed into 40-Year-Old Virgin again if this plan backfired. As Deuce began, I really thought my time was going to be limited in this theater ? the beginning really, really sucked. This was D-level material, and I rarely grant movies with a D rating.

I was amongst the group on the first Deuce Bigelow (B-) who thought it was a pretty funny and surprisingly sweet movie. European Gigalo only has a hint of that sweetness but I was amazed at how much I ended up laughing (it quickly went from being really bad to being one of the biggest guilty pleasures ever). I nearly hated the ads for Deuce, and even after enjoying The Hot Chick (B-) I was getting fed up with Rob Schneider?s one-joke routine (I will say ? just to gain some respect if it?s humanly possible ? that I thought The Animal sucked). I know this is one of those movies that is nearly impossible to be taken seriously with after such a reaction, and many people will call me an idiot for liking this, and even I can?t believe that I actually liked this movie.

I will admit that part of my sense of humor is extremely stupid (I?m one of ten people who enjoyed Kung Pow). Slapstick and sitcomish humor is stuff I can?t tolerate, but stupid material done right can really get me going (to the point of tears). I loved Airplane (B+) and Kentucky Fried Movie (B+), which have got to be in the top five best stupid movies of all time. Deuce Bigalow 2 doesn?t rank up to those comedy classics by any means (it?s so badly directed that rating it was hard for me), but its means for generating laughs is not that far off in comparison. Silly comedy usually makes me want to gag myself as well, and Deuce Bigalow is all silly (and stupid). But I realized the difference is that this is silly and raunchy, a combination not often seen.

Deuce is very dirty, and is almost as dirty as 40-Year-Old Virgin (B). Like with Virgin, the ads had to be restrained, as they offered silly content on a PG-13 level. The content in the ads didn?t make me laugh ? the stuff they couldn?t show made me laugh. That?s not to say that this is an under-appreciated movie or that it?s getting caught up in a box office storm (led by Wedding Crashers and Virgin), as a movie like this takes a specific sense of humor to enjoy (some might like it while others will hate it). And considering the movie has horrible buzz, it?s hard to convince those who have this sense of humor to give it a shot.

I can understand the critics, though ? this is not a "good" movie by any means. The definition of a guilty pleasure is when you know a movie?s not well made but somehow you managed to enjoy it (and are somewhat afraid to admit it). And this is one of those movies that is just so stupid that it made me laugh. But when I say it?s not a good movie and then look at the flicks I?ve called mediocre, I enjoyed Deuce a lot more. I wasn?t in pain during Deuce, despite being fully aware that it was one of the worst directing jobs I?ve seen in recent time. But I also think the fact that it?s not well made actually contributes to the comic relief.

Every aspect of this movie is terribly ridiculous. It?s as if the director isn?t even taking himself seriously, making everything over the top in idiocy. But if the movie had even been well made, it might not be so funny because being ?over the top? can be funnier. This is a bad movie that I found to be pretty funny, and at times, hysterical. And while my reaction to this movie may put my reputation on the line and could open myself up to heavy criticism, I?m still saying thumbs up.

Lee's Grade: B-
Ranked #37 of 143 between Thumbsucker (#36) and Wolf Creek (#38) for 2005 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%