Good Luck Chuck

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

My first clue was when they served free alcohol at the screening. It’s like they knew beforehand that only a drunken person would give Good Luck Chuck a favorable review. Unfortunately for the filmmakers, I’m sober.

Complete with flashing boobs, gross-out situations, and many unfunny pratfalls by Jessica Alba, Good Luck Chuck is a comedy that fails miserably. Trying much too hard to be edgy and push the R-rated boundaries, the film only manages to come across as crude and degrading. It doesn’t bode well for moviegoers who have become spoiled by the genius of the Judd Apatow comedy, which effortlessly blends raunchy humor with genuine heart and intelligence. Compared to smart comedies like Knocked Up and Superbad, Good Luck Chuck doesn’t even come close.

So here’s the premise in a nutshell: Charlie (Dane Cook) is a handsome dentist who doesn’t have much relationship success. Through a series of run-ins with ex-flames, he soon comes to realize that every girl he’s been with has found Mr. Right immediately after breaking up with him. When word of his “power” gets out, Charlie has a lineup of women looking for a quick one-night stand so that they, too, can find the man of their dreams.

With the convincing of his chauvinistic, sex-crazed best friend (the uber-obnoxious Dan Fogler), Charlie decides to take advantage of his “gift.” But when he meets Cam (Jessica Alba), a penguin-loving klutz, he realizes his gift might actually be a curse. See, Cam could be The One, but what if she sleeps with him and falls in love with the next guy she meets? Charlie can’t let that happen. He’ll do anything to keep her, including acting like a bat-crazy stalker.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Dane Cook; his stand-up is hilarious. The guy just hasn’t learned how to translate his on-stage charisma to the big screen. And Jessica Alba is completely miscast in her role. She doesn’t have the comedic chops to pull off the demanding physical comedy this part requires. Whether it be smacking into a pole or falling into a penguin habitat, I didn’t buy her as a clumsy dork.

And please don’t get me started on Dan Fogler, whose vulgar, over-the-top performance will make you want to take massive doses of Excedrin.

Good Luck Chuck lacks wit and creativity, instead opting for gratuitous, cartoonish humor and a flimsy, gimmicky premise that falls flat. In short, Good Luck Chuck doesn’t see to have much luck at all.

Movie Grade: D

Synopsis:

A guy who breaks up with his longtime lady is shocked to hear that she gets engaged to her next boyfriend. He finds himself repeating this pattern, and soon hopeful