2008 Woodie Awards
Good Luck Chuck Is Not Worth Your Bucks
Natalie Abreu
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Focus
The thing that hurts "Good Luck Chuck" is that it seems to want to be two different films in one, and it wants to capitalize on guy movie/chick flick package films like such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" have done. It has graphic sex scenes, which Jessica Alba - but not Dane Cook - was smart enough to not fully partake in. One includes Charlie and a stuffed penguin, which will never let you look at a "Stuff-A-Bear" penguin at Late Night the same way again. The obnoxious, chauvinistic Stu seems to only care about breasts and is more likely to be sued for sexual harassment than be an actual practicing doctor. This one dimensional, cartoonish character tries to make Charlie look like a nice guy you want to root for. But Cook's performance goes from a semi-charming guy to a smothering stalker that is all too familiar to his stage persona; he even tries to infuse his own jokes as if he decided to not act and just be himself through the last 45 minutes of the film.
Alba takes a dive into comedy through this film with mixed results. Though she plays the sweet, girl-next-door type well, her physical comedy abilities are more embarrassing to watch than they are funny.
Yet there are some tender moments, such as the first kiss between Charlie and Cam, which sadly shows how this film could have been so much more enjoyable if more time and effort had been put into a coherent script and some real character development. The only funny and semi-developed character of the film is the pothead Joe, Cam's brother (played by Lonny Ross of "30 Rock"). The only truly cute and enjoyable scenes in this turkey are the ones with penguin close ups.
A poor script, jokes that misfire and the on-and-off performance of Dane Cook makes "Good Luck Chuck" a waste. This "boob" tries but fails to be anything more than a way to waste your hard earned money and 96 minutes of your life in a dark movie theater.
Contact Natalie Abreu
at Natalie.Abreu@UConn.edu.
Alba takes a dive into comedy through this film with mixed results. Though she plays the sweet, girl-next-door type well, her physical comedy abilities are more embarrassing to watch than they are funny.
Yet there are some tender moments, such as the first kiss between Charlie and Cam, which sadly shows how this film could have been so much more enjoyable if more time and effort had been put into a coherent script and some real character development. The only funny and semi-developed character of the film is the pothead Joe, Cam's brother (played by Lonny Ross of "30 Rock"). The only truly cute and enjoyable scenes in this turkey are the ones with penguin close ups.
A poor script, jokes that misfire and the on-and-off performance of Dane Cook makes "Good Luck Chuck" a waste. This "boob" tries but fails to be anything more than a way to waste your hard earned money and 96 minutes of your life in a dark movie theater.
Contact Natalie Abreu
at Natalie.Abreu@UConn.edu.
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