Movie Review

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

You think I'm an idiot already, don't you? This is the kind of rating that people will use against me in the future when they disagree with another one of my reviews. But screw that and screw them. This is the kind of movie that gets savaged by most critics who deride it for its stupidity, vulgarity, and cheapness. Most critics are old blowhards who are over-serious about film and have a tough time enjoying a thoroughly immature comedy like this one. Coming into the theater I thought I was going to absolutely hate it (even seeing it for free) - I was poisoned by Ebert's zero-star review and other critical flak, and I don't remember liking the first one that much.

And I thought the critics were right for the first ten or fifteen minutes of the flick. And since I knew the running time was not much more than 80 minutes, the signs weren't pointing to anything entertaining. But then a gag or two clicked and the laughs came...and they kept coming: big ones - throughout the rest of the movie. Deuce 2 was a big surprise along the lines of Freddy Got Fingered (B+). It's among the best moviegoing experiences to go in expecting a disappointment and to come out knowing satisfaction. That's not to say that Deuce is a "good" movie at all; in fact, it's a freakin' terrible one (that's why the critics hate it, remember?). But the shoddiness of the production and soaring absurdity of the jokes make the thing hysterical, against the odds.

The plot is non-existent, and that's the way it oughta be with something like this. Fish expert Deuce Bigalow (Rob Schneider) decides to leave home and go visit his pimp mentor T.J. (Eddie Griffin) in Amsterdam, Holland. Just as Deuce arrives, there is a spate of man-whore serial killings. Deuce and T.J. feel threatened, so they have to do their usual man-whoring while keeping on guard and trying to get information about who might be the killer. There is also a police detective stalking them. Deuce must go on jobs with bizarre paying customers and also build his relationship with a very cute Dutch girl. It's a short and to the point loony fest. This movie doesn't care about plot, character, or anything vaguely cinematic, and it could be the tonic you've been looking for this dreary season.

If you're a fan of such moronic comedy classics as BASEketball (B+), Van Wilder (A-), or There's Something About Mary (A-), I have a feeling you might dig European Gigalo. I'm not saying you gotta love it, but just give it a chance even if you think you're gonna hate it viciously. If you have any sense of ridiculous childishness and you like dumb comedy, Deuce is the best thing out there right now. I'll even say that the laughs in this film are in some ways bigger than those in 40-Year-Old-Virgin (B+), which I thought would easily go down as the best comedy of the year. While that movie has chuckles and clever writing, it somehow doesn't achieve the fall-on-the-floor belly-laugh momentum generated by this flick. The gags are so dumb, vulgar, and outrageous that it's almost like an instinctual reaction to laugh at them, as if they bypass the evolved part of the brain. That's a refreshing experience, and it seems as if the public is losing its taste for movies like this.

Everyone thinks they're critics, and the influential stuffy ones are apparently influencing the general population. It even appears as if Rob Schneider has sought critical approval for this flick, only to be turned down at every corner. I don't understand why Rob needs the blowhards to talk nice about his ridiculous project; if he just advertises to the right audience, he can end up where he needs to be (don't go for deliberate stupidity and expect the serious-minded to back you up). This is a movie that big fans of "stupid" comedy will want to check out. If you don't like it, I can't help you; if you do enjoy it, don't be afraid to tell someone else.

Scott's Grade: B

A	15.1%
B	59.2%
C	24.5%
D	1.2%
F	0.0%