Movie Review: Just Go With It

It is not often that a romantic comedy sneaks up on you and delivers something unexpected.
There is a tried and tested formula that seems to work and gets wheeled out regularly.
But Just Go With It has a refreshing element.
Danny (Adam Sandler) and Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) are the stars here and though Aniston is a familiar rom-com face, Sandler hasn't been in this genre for a few years - 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore in 2004 being his last effort.
Danny, a plastic surgeon, and Katherine, his office manager, are colleagues and although they may be the best of friends, they live very different lives.
Danny loves the ladies and uses a fake wedding ring to lure his prey in the bars and clubs.
Katherine is divorced with two children and lives her life very much day-to-day.
When Danny meets a young woman who could be Mrs Right, the fake wedding ring threatens to bring it all undone.
Danny decides to involve Katherine in the story as his evil soon-to-be ex-wife to convince Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) of his faithful intentions.
Danny's problems snowball when Katherine's children enter the picture, and before you know it the whole extended family is in Hawaii on a getting-to-know-you holiday.
To complicate matters, Katherine's arch-nemesis from high school days - Devlin Adams (Nicole Kidman) - just happens to be at the same hotel and matters get very complicated.
Different stories are being told to different people and Danny must keep them all straight if he wants to prove to Palmer that he is worth the trouble.
As you can imagine, there are laughs to be had as the people and their stories cross over.
Ultimately, Danny has to decide where his affections really lie and what he wants from his life.
Just Go For It is good fun. The setting is dream-like, the characters are entertaining (Kidman in particular plays a very bizarre woman) and the story has just enough realism to keep you happily hooked throughout.
(M), 116 minutes
4/5