Film Review, Buffalo News, August 2006
Filmmakers can learn a few lessons from Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. For example, if you’re making a sequel to a movie that came out six years ago, and no one saw that one, either, don’t pepper this film with constant references to the first one. We don’t get it.
But, clearly, the most important lesson to learn here is: Don’t make a sequel to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
Someone did, though. In fact, director Mike Bigelow (really his name) makes his debut with this film, unfortunately for him, and us. In it, Rob Schneider (The Hot Chick) revives his most notorious character (besides maybe the “makin’ copies!” guy from Saturday Night Live) and brings Deuce to Amsterdam, where he meets up with his former pimp, T.J. (Eddie Griffin of Undercover Brother) during a gigolo-killing spree. That’s right, it’s set in
Just kidding. There are a lot. They’re not funny. Neither are the dozens of homophobic, racist, and just plain disgusting gags that feebly hold the plot together. These are the kind of jokes your dirty uncle makes at Thanksgiving, the kind that make everyone throw up a little. An unimpressive and bewildering love story is stapled on, with Hanna Verboom (she’s the Belgian host of “Top of the Pops”) as the finest asset to the film because, well, she’s pretty and she doesn’t say much.
Norm MacDonald (Dirty Work) steals the show with a small, uncredited role, and of course Adam Sandler makes his prerequisite cameo. And there’s something redeemable about Rob Schneider, some unspoken enthusiasm for comedy that makes you hope his next one will be good. Eddie Griffin, however, is as flat as a cardboard supermarket display.
Some of the funniest movies are terribly offensive. American Pie and There’s Something about Mary come to mind. The difference between American Pie’s Stifler and Deuce Bigalow, though, is that you kind of like Stifler, as much as you hate him. But you just can’t care about Deuce.
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