Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Otherwise known as "Rob Schneider's reward for being Adam Sandler's friend." The film is billed as "a Happy Madison production," and Sandler served as executive producer, but no, he doesn't have a cameo in the film. Surprisingly, Deuce Bigalow is substantially funnier than some of Sandler's recent one-note efforts (see The Waterboy), possibly because there's an underlying sweetness behind Schneider's glazed-over eyes that is absent from Sandler's more narcissistic act. Lest any teenage males be too disappointed, however, there are plenty of fart jokes, sex jokes, shots of old ladies falling down, and as the preview implies, jokes at the expense of just about every physical and neurological handicap imaginable. Even an ending containing the message that everyone needs love, no matter how different they are, may not blunt the sting for those with even remotely PC sensibilities. As SNL alums go, Schneider may be no Bill Murray, but at least he's no Chris Kattan either. As Deuce, a fishtank cleaner who finds himself working as a "man-whore" through a set of improbable circumstances (are there any other kind?), Schneider experiences a series of bizarre dates while being represented by pimp Eddie Griffin (Foolish) and pursued by insane cop William Forsythe, whose penile insecurity leads him to constantly expose himself. Believe it or not, all the best jokes haven't been given away in the preview (just the lamest ones), and even the sentimental touches are leavened with a healthy dose of the absurd (While trying to nurse a fish back to health, Deuce tells a customer: "He's got to want to live. The next 48 hours are critical."). The film gets bonus points for being the first comedy out of the gate to include a parody of The Matrix and for giving Norm MacDonald a five-minute guest shot that pays off during the closing credits.