Review of Stuck on You (2003) by Michelle W — 08 Apr 2009

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.