Farrelly farce a surprising success

STUCK ON YOU stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins Bob and Walt Tenor. They seem to be enjoying their smalltown lives.

They run their own burger joint and Walt is a big hit in local theatre. But Walt is dreaming of something bigger.

He wants to be a star and heads to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. Not too surprisingly, Bob tags along.

They hook up with fellow wannabe actor April (Eva Mendes), sleazy talent agent Morty O’Reilly (Seymour Cassel), and May (Wen Yann Shih), Bob’s online lover.

But things don’t quite go according to plan. Hollywood’s movie moguls aren’t keen on hiring an actor with more baggage than most.

Their luck changes when they bump into Cher, who chooses Bob to star opposite her in a new sitcom. The show is a big hit and Bob’s career takes off.

Despite it’s pretty lame plot, Stuck On You works because Damon and Kinnear manage to pull off a remarkable physical performance.

The make-up is superb, and, despite the fact they look nothing like each other, they make the whole thing look very authentic. Instead of making the twins look like some circus act, they transform their characters into real people that we actually care about.

Eva Mendes gives a good performance as the likeable but dumb April, while Wen Yann Shih’s May is the perfect love interest for Bob. Cameo performances by Cher and Meryl Streep round off a surprisingly enjoyable offering from the Farrelly Brothers.

Comedy, PG. 3/5