No wonder Judd Apatow has a lock on the “man-child-who-needs-to-grow-up” rom-com — the best the competition can come up with is this misfire and Good Luck Chuck. Cameron Diaz gives it a game go as Joy McNally, a Wall Street wonk who’s spurned by an MBA stiff (Jason Sudeikis) and douses her sorrows in Vegas. After a night of drinking, she wakes up married to a self-important slacker (Ashton Kutcher) she can’t stand. The click is that the two have to remain married for six months to collect the $3 million they scored in Sin City (Dennis Miller making no impression as the judge). Any guesses as to the outcome? Despite its aching predictability, Kutcher’s clunkiness, and Tom Vaughan’s jerky direction, the film and the couple actually grow on you — mostly thanks to Diaz. As far as the gags go, there’s testicle-sweat-flavored popcorn and pissing in the kitchen sink. 99 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Circle/Chestnut Hill + Suburbs
See all articles by: TOM MEEK