Just Go With It

Last night in our summer movie marathon we continued on with the Adam Sandler comedy just go with it. Adam Sandler has taken a beating lately in the press and with recent movie reviews, most often deservedly so. This movie was a bit different however, it certainly was not an Oscar-winner, but it was an enjoyable flick.

In the movie Sandler plays Danny Mackaby a plastic surgeon. His office assistant is Catherine Murphy played by Jennifer Aniston. Catherine is a single mom with two children who is often the foil for Dr. Danny's sense of humor.

As the movie begins we see Danny has a young man about to be married to a woman who is marrying him despite not being in love with them because he is going to be a cardiologist, but at the same time is very mean about the size of his nose. After leaving her at the altar Danny goes out to drown his sorrows, and even with a nose that goes into a ZIP Code a day before he does he discovers that a wedding ring is a great attraction for a lot of women.

At a party one evening, Danny, now a successful plastic surgeon, meets a woman named Palmer a very attractive schoolteacher played by Brooklyn Decker. The evening takes off well for them and they end up together waking up in the morning on a beach. Palmer, however, discovers the wedding ring that Danny had in his pocket and assumes he is actually married. It turns out that she is the one woman who is not interested in dating married man because her parents had broken up due to such a fling.

This leads to Danny needing to convince her that he's not married, in fact is about to get a divorce. He convinces Catherine to play his soon-to-be divorced wife, and play it to the hilt she does.

Of course it would be a short movie if this is all that happened, so at the end of the evening Catherine takes a phone call from her children which of course leads Palmer to understand that Danny has children and changes her whole view about their potential relationship. What Danny has to do to convince her to continue dating him leads to the plot of them.

The cast is strong. Sandler is often likable even in his worst roles. Aniston, they'll getting older, will always look like a girl you wished you dated in high school. Nicole Kidman has a part as Devlin Adams Catherine's nemesis from college.

Dave Matthews, yes that Dave Matthews plays her husband. And of course for anyone who is seen the commercials for the movie when it was in the theaters Brooklyn Decker Pl., Palmer. Decker the supermodel married to tennis player Andy Roddick has a few noble scenes, mostly those scenes are when she is in a bikini. She plays Palmer, as a naive nice girl and surprisingly it's fairly believable in the role. But let's be clear, she is in the movie because of how she looks. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Interestingly, in the movie Anniston's Park Catherine is played as an average girl, one then nobody really notices with her lab coat and glasses. When Catherine this roadster jump in the lake the look of surprise on Danny's face and seeing how attractive she is makes one wonder what he was seeing the whole time that we could clearly see from the beginning.

It does not take a genius to see where the movies going but it is still an enjoyable ride. A good movie for night when you don't want to think too much.

Born and Raised by John Mayer

John Mayer is an interesting character. His first album from 2001 blasted him into the consciousness with his song No Such Thing. Perceptions of him as a pop singer quickly faded as he toured and released albums that proved his merit as a guitarist and writer of great songs.

Mayer of course has become known as a serial dater, perhaps white rock stardom's version of Derek Jeter as he has dated many of the most popular actresses and singers. Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Taylor Swift to name just three. Swift even wrote her song " Dear John" about him an event that Mayer has called embarrassing.

Born and Raised, his most recent album proves once and for all that for all the fluff surrounding his public persona and dating life Mayer is a true artist. This album is a master work.

Quiet, reserved, lyrically and musically strong Mayer answers any question one might have about his talent and depth on this album. Well crafted pop songs, sing along if you like, but most of all songs that match.

The opening song Queen of California opens the album and shows a great deal of the influences Mayer has heard. Sounding like it comes from the early seventies and even referencing Neil Young's After the Goldrush in 1971 Mayer knows his history and open the album brilliantly.

Another song Shadow Days has the same feeling and groove. Singing of being able to finally let it go, and knowing that he is a good man with a good heart and that his Shadow Days are over. A self revealing song that is another song many of us can relate to. Of special interest to me was the Beatles sound in the instruments after the second chorus, Mayer shows all his history lessons.

For all the girls named Olivia in the world you finally have a song with your name in it. Mayer sings that Olivia is taken but that he needs something like Olivia. One assumes he could probably get her if he just sang her this song.

Born and Raised, the title song, is an instant classic. With it's harmonica again bringing Neil Young to mind, and a confessional air Mayer talks about " one of these days, I'll be Born and Raised and it's such as waste to grow up lonely." " Still has dreams, just not the same, they don't fly as high as they used to" Mayer sounds older than he is. Certainly much life has been lived by him in the last decade. This song might be the result of those years.

Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967 starts with a Miles Davis like mini solo and then launches into a whimsical story song about just what it says, Walt Grace's submarine test. Still with the lyric " When your done with this world. you know the next is up to you" Mayer is talking about more than Walt Grace, he is talking about all of us making decisions about not just the next life but the rest of this one.


Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey again starts with the harmonica and tells of " trying to find the man I never got to be" and becomes another confessional of disappointment in the deal he made, not with the devil, but with himself. A great song.

John Mayer is not a pop star. He should be taken seriously after this album. This is a thoughtful, graceful, album that is certainly the high point of his career.

The Switch

Rented this movie on Netflix about two weeks ago. It was one my wife picked out that we were going to be watching together but that I planned to multitask during.

In this movie Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman are long time friends. Having dated long ago they are now great friends and share all including commiserating about how awful dating is. Nothing original here thus far as When Harry Met Sally mined this territory years ago. Thoug if Jen also had a Big O scene it would be worth watching.

Anniston decides she wants a baby and cannot wait for a man. She gets some sperm who comes to her house to give her the sperm fresh...does this happen?.. and leaves it in a cup in the bathroom. While this is going on her girlfriends are throwing a party for her and Bateman's character realizing he is jealous and has feelings for the inseminated to be gets drunk. When in the bathroom he makes a switch of the contents of the cup.

The second half of the movie is better, highlighted by the little boy who plays the product of this switch. The truth comes to light, trouble ensues. Not a great movie, I am not even sure it was a good one. I did put down my book though and watch the second half pretty intently for whatever that is worth