Stuck on You (2006, DVD)

Stuck On You stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as Siamese twins who head out to Hollywood for a chance at stardom. The only problem is that Kinnear is the only actor while Damon suffers from stage fright, which becomes apparent during a play at a local theatre in their small hometown. Throw in Cher plus a couple of girlfriends for the twins, and you ve got one hell of an interesting and unique film.

We re not Siamese. We re American.

From the previews, one might get the idea that Matt and Greg s twins are not all that bright, which is often the case with movies from the Farrelly brothers. Keep in mind that these are the guys behind such no-brainer comic gems as Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber, Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, and Me Myself and Irene. However, with this movie all of the characters are intelligent people who want the same things as everyone else. The twins possess a kind of sweet innocence that makes them very likable.

The film opens with Matt and Greg in their small hometown where they own a little burger joint. We immediately see that they are hard working and determined guys who have learned to get the most out of their situation by working together in perfect harmony to quickly prepare dishes in the kitchen. A short while later, we see Greg s half putting on a one-man act (so to speak) at a local theatre. Wanting more out of life, Greg urges his brother to go out to Hollywood with him and try to make it in the big time. They find a retired half-senile agent in a nursing home, and start landing small-time gigs.

Cher s character is introduced as an actress locked into a television role that she doesn t want, and she hires Greg as an extra character hoping that the ridiculousness of the whole thing will get her show cancelled. Her plan backfires when the public falls in love with the twins, and then the conflict begins. The rest of the movies deals with the twins trying to work out something with the television show, plus they both find romantic interests in town.

Stuck On You has plenty of twists, but I won t tell you if they ever get separated or not. This becomes a movie about people working together despite their differences (or similarities) and is a lot of fun to watch. It is very light hearted and casual, and I can honestly say that I really got a kick out of watching it.

Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear must ve gotten to know each other real well in this movie, because they were literally attached to each other at the waist. Having two Oscar caliber actors in this kind of role is a stretch, but their abilities only make their roles more believable and they carry the movie well. Cher is great as the moody actress who gets caught up in everything, and Eva Mendes is fun to see as Greg s character s girlfriend.

This movie is dragging along at the box office, and I would suspect it s because of the absurd plot plus all the competition from larger movies. If you are looking for something fun and different, you should check out Stuck On You.