Adam Sandler has occasionally, in movies such as Punch-Drunk Love and Funny People, shown that he can act, or at least put a fresh spin on the volatile man-child schtick that’s made him famous. But he seems equally happy churning out Sandler-brand films comprised of kindergarten-level gags. For these half-assed efforts, he usually turns to Dennis Dugan, the director of this rom-com about a plastic surgeon whose assistant (Jennifer Aniston) poses as his ex-wife in order to cover a lie he’s told to his girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker). There are moments when Sandler generates real, adult chemistry with Aniston, but he and Dugan retreat too often to their immature safe zone. If he’d just go with the natural process of growing up, Sandler could be a genuine leading man.
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2011.