Movie Review
Good Luck Chuck
Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 21, 2007
Hollywood hands us yet another regurgitation of the whole ‘guy can’t commit until he meets the girl of his dreams, but loses her because he over-commits and has to win her back with true unconditional love’ plot, with Good Luck Chuck. The film is predictable, cliche and downright adolescent in its humor. Did I mention yet that I liked it?
Charlie (Dane Cook) has become a pretty popular guy around town. Word has gotten out that whoever he sleeps with, will fall in love with and marry the next person they meet. Charlie’s friend Stu (Dan Fogler) sees this as an amazing opportunity for Charlie to sleep with as many women as possible, without any string attached. When Charlie meets his dream girl Cam (Jessica Alba) he doesn’t want things to move too fast because if he messes things up, she will fall in love with the next guy she meets.
I have always been a fan of Dane Cook’s stand-up, but just like Myspace, iPods and popped collars, it has been ages since it was the coolest thing ever. The guy hasn’t been funny in a movie since Mystery Men. Yes Dane Cook was in Mystery Men, but he wasn’t funny. I just wanted to reference Mystery Men. So, what makes Good Luck Chuck any different? I would easily argue that Jessica Alba is a worthy distraction from bad acting, and Dan Fogler is the next funniest man in Hollywood.
The film itself is nothing to write home about. It is a clumsy carbon copy of every awkward date film, and could never be compared to greats like Wedding Crashers or The 40 Year Old Virgin. Good Luck Chuck takes things that made those films great, and compliments them. The promiscuity and carelessness that was displayed in Wedding Crashers is also a theme found in this film. A fun sex montage, filled with fantastic different positions, and crazy sexual exploits fill the film, but this is all sidelined once the film begins to show some heart. Much like the supportive and sometimes abusive friends of The 40 Year Old Virgin, Dane has Fogler to pick up the slack. Fogler provides some much needed blunt humor and uncomfortable situations.
While I can’t rave about the movie, I did like it. it provided some belly laughs and some outrageous humor. It is probably the only movie since Total Recall to show a woman with more than two breasts. Also, I don’t think any other film in the history of cinema has shown a grown man going down on a stuffed penguin. So there you have it, go see Good Luck Chuck. I liked it, so you should too.
The Upside: Jessica Alba and…yeah.
The Downside: Predictable, and a scene involving a lobster.
On the Side: The movie poster for “Good Luck Chuck” is a take on a very famous “Rolling Stone†magazine cover of Yoko Ono and John Lennon (in which John was completely naked).
Read more articles by Brian C. Gibson
6 Comments
September 21st, 2007 at 9:42 am
I’m not seeing this unless Alba gets completely naked in the film. And I’m presuming that doesn’t happen.
Also, WEDDING CRASHERS was, IMHO, crap. But 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN was indeed tres awesome.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I wonder who TPTB paid off for permission to use the John/Yoko photo — Rolling Stone? Annie Liebowitz? Yoko Ono?
Even if Good Luck Chuck had turned out to be a hit and not a C+ as it got from at least two FSR reviews, using the Rolling Stone picture was a really crappy idea.
What’ll they do next? Put Danny DeVito’s face on Lincoln’s body at the Washington monument?
Sheesh!
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:44 pm
The fake RS cover was actually a reshoot…it looks extremely close but it is actually Dane and Jessica. Remember Lennon was completely naked…Dane isn’t as adventurous…or maybe it is Jessica
September 24th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Yeah, I know it’s Dane and Jessica, but the idea stinks. There are some things that should just be respected enough to leave alone.
And I don’t even like Yoko. I stood next to her at Strawberry Fields in Central Park in December 2005 on the anniversary of John’s assassination, and as soon as I saw Yoko, I took two steps further away.
It’s just a cheap shot to connect with something way bigger than this movie.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
P.S. to Brian — I should’ve originally said “… paid off to use the John & Yoko photo POSE … ”
Nobody’s perfect. :-)
September 27th, 2007 at 7:04 am
It be nice if some1 on this site would write concious of the fact that they’re women reading! I’m not gay and to use Jessica Alba as the upside to the movie is poor writing..this proves that obviously w/ out the sexual aspect of the movie there would be nothing. I think u guys should all read Chris beaumonts stuff..his is good!