Good Luck Chuck

 (2007)

by Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

I never thought that I would one day be springing to the defense of a movie like this, but then again, I never dreamed I'd pick up a 32 point bridge hand, or that I would be be stealing shipments of cumquats to impress my elderly Uncle Stanley's 19-year-old mail order Thai bride, so there you are. Life sometimes deals the unexpected hand, and it's our responsibility to bid the tricky grand slam or to bring the ben-wa balls and plenty of lubricant to Uncle Stanley's house when he is spending a few days at the Mayo clinic.

GLC is, to my knowledge, the only major 2007 film to receive NO positive reviews from the cream of the crop at Rotten Tomatoes. Because of the universal critical contempt, I assumed it was a complete crap-fest on the level of Dorm Daze, so I avoided it when it came to the theaters. Of course, the copious nudity eventually made it a must-watch for the Fun House,  and I was surprised to see that the film is not that bad. In essence it is a 70s British sex farce re-tooled into a contemporary American movie. I guess we should not be surprised that films of that nature are widely deprecated by critics and film snobs, since Tuna has covered this subject extensively in his essays on the first two "Confessions..." films.

The role which would have gone to Robin Askwith in the seventies, the silly dentist of only moderate charm who has inexplicable success with the ladies, goes this time to Dane Cook. The explanation for his bewildering gift as a Casanova is that a legend has sprung up around him. No, not what you're thinking. The legend is that any woman who has sex with Chuck will find her perfect dream-man immediately afterward. Women therefore line up at the foot of his bed. Chuck is not happy with the situation. His friend wants to know, "What's wrong with it?"  Well, it turns out that the legend is true (long story, not worth detailing), which means he can never be loved. As soon as he makes love to a woman, she's off to the altar with the next guy, no matter how much Chuck likes her. And Chuck likes Jessica Alba a lot.

His dilemma is therefore, that if he sleeps with his true love, he assures that she will fall in love with the next guy she meets. But if he can't show any interest in her, he's going to lose her anyway. The comedy, such as it is, involves various gimmicky attempts to resolve the dilemma. (Example. He asks his friend, a plastic surgeon, if he can get a completely new face after making love to Alba, so he can also be the next guy after himself.) 

OK, it's not a great movie. Let's not kid ourselves. But a zero percent at Rotten Tomatoes? It's just not that bad. I laughed out loud two or three times, and I made it through the disk without resorting to the fast-forward button. Hell, that alone beats at least half of the films I watch each week. If this flick came on cable late in the evening, and you had some chill time coming, I don't think you would be rushing for the remote. Afterwards, you might think, "Well, that was nothing special," but I think you'd probably last it out. It's a helluva lot funnier than the incredibly lame and tedious Mr. Woodcock, which scored 27% from the same "cream of the crop."

The pathetically low critical appraisal probably tells you less about the film than about how far the average critic is from the public's sensibilities. The film scores a C+ at Yahoo (with more than 5000 votes) and grossed nearly $30 million. Obviously some people liked it, and while I didn't really like it, I didn't mind it, either.

 

Our Grade:

If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to read the explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by our definition, a C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:

C-

An acceptable raunchy romantic comedy, if that's your bag, baby.

DVD INFO

* Not available at press time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRITICS AND ACADEMIES

2 James Berardinelli (of 4 stars)
1 Roger Ebert (of 4 stars)
3 Rotten Tomatoes  (% positive)
19 Metacritic.com (of 100)

THE PEOPLE

   
5.0 IMDB summary (of 10)
C+ Yahoo Movies

THE BOX OFFICE

Box Office Mojo. It opened in a solid #2 slot, and grossed about $30m.

 

NUDITY REPORT

  • Jessica Alba appears in panties, and even offers a very quick side-rear view of her left breast.
  • There is a montage (ala Wedding Crashers) of Chuck having recreational sex with many women, several of them topless. Among them are Chelan Simmons, Carrie Fleming, Tammie Morris, Zara Taylor, Jessica Olafson.
  • Yasmine Vox gets topless and shows off her boob job.
  • Annie Wood appears topless with three breasts!

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