Good Luck Chuck

Something happened on the way to The Darjeeling Limited . . . The theater was full.

So I went down the hall to see what else was playing, and the only thing that was starting soon was Good Luck Chuck, the romantic comedy starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba. Let me just say that this wasn't the worst romantic comedy I've ever seen. Cook and Alba didn't have great chemistry, but the premise kept the film moving, and Dan Fogler, who plays Cook's best friend Stu, is very funny in a severely disgusting sort of way.

Cook plays Charlie, a guy who wouldn't show his dick to a goth girl when he was 12-years old during "seven minutes in heaven," so she put a hex on him that makes every girl he has sex with leave him and marry the next guy she dates (she doesn't phrase it like this at the time, but this is what ends up happening). This effect is unknown to Charlie (or anyone else for that matter) until one of his ex-girlfriends makes a toast to him at her wedding, thanking him for being her lucky charm. Immediately afterwards, the information is disseminated to all marriage-seekers across the internet, and they begin coming out of the woodwork to pay Charlie a visit.

Initially, Charlie is too much of a gentleman to oblige all these women, but after a plaintiff plea from his obese, widowed receptionist, he gives in and performs the act (in an act of sweetness and sacrifice that is truly an odd, touching moment in a film like this). After doing this first favor, he realizes that he's actually helping these women, so he begins to screw his brains out, in a ridiculously explicit montage that shows him having wild, contortionist sex all over the place (and I mean explicit -- think "Basic Instinct" times ten -- Don't bring your kids!).

But soon, unsatisfied by these ladies' lack of true affection for him, he attempts to have a real relationship with beautiful penguin enthusiast Cam, played by Jessica Alba. She's pretty, works at a penguin habitat, is vaguely vulnerable, and is very, very unlucky. The movie never really explains the existence of her curse, but it appears to be as powerful as Charlie's. She basically destroys everything she touches.

Anyway, Charlie falls in love pretty quick...but the curse lurks in the background. If he has sex with her, will she break up with him and marry another man? Only a test case can reveal the answer: Charlie must have sex with the most disgusting woman possible, one who could never get an offer of marriage without the powerful magic of Charlie's hex. If she doesn't get married afterwards, then the hex isn't real. This is the "yuck" climax of the film, and it's a good one. I won't say anymore to avoid spoiling your suspense about whether or not the rest of the movie will unfold in romantic formula fashion. Good luck.

If Woody Allen had made this film, it would have been a piece about the magic of the self-fulfilling prophecy. There's much to be said about how expectation can change one's perception of a potential mate (and the inverse), and the movie kind of veers this way towards the end, but it falls short of turning a romping sex comedy awkward-fest into a funny, intelligent film about real people, which is what it could have been if Woody had made it. I like Woody, if you can't tell.

As for the acting, both leads are decent but not spectacular. Alba is basically eye candy -- I have no doubt that she can be funny or interesting given the right material (like Idle Hands, for example), but she's not especially alluring here. That said, this movie is a must for fans of Alba, because she appears in her underwear.

But I don't think it's a must for fans of Cook. I've seen some of Cook's stand-up and it can be pretty good, but his relatable, party story-telling style doesn't translate all that well to the big screen. They try, but the script hand feeds him too many dumb jokes, and all that's left for him is physical comedy -- fortunately he makes the best of his opportunities in this respect. Dan Fogler has all the best comedic lines, though. He's Wedding Crashers' Vince Vaughn to Cook's Owen Wilson.

I'm cringing as I write this, but, I guess you should see this movie. That is, if you can't get into the movie you bought tickets for. :)

P.S. If you end up seeing this movie, wait for the closing credits. There's a short final scene that contains the funniest thing in the movie. It's almost worth seeing just for this bit.