Cook Fails To Humor Once Again in Lame-Brained "My Best Friend's Girl"

There are some stand-up comics that can make the transition from stage to film. Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and even Tim Allen have done so, marking success in their own way. Then there are those who can't seem to make that transition, like Carrot Top, Andrew Dice Clay, and Dane Cook. Carrot Top and Clay made wise decisions and stepped back from movies, but Cook can't seem to get the picture. I've never really found him funny on stage (only laughed a handful of times), but he's never made me laugh once in a single movie he's starred in. He's got talent, there's no doubt about that. He was really good in a supporting role in Dan in Real Life, but he can't seem to hold a lead role. A big problem could be the material. He's always doing this lame-brained, uber-raunchy comedies that end up sucking beyond all reality. This is one of those films.

My Best Friend's Girl has a bold, but ultimately brainless plot. Cook stars as Sherman "Tank" Turner, a customer service rep for some company that also gets paid on the side to take women on dates and act like a complete and utter asshole. I mean, he takes it to the extreme, even going so far as to take a devout Catholic girl to a pizza place titled "Cheezus Crust" ("where pizza's a religion"). The men that pay him are that girl's exes. His goal is to make such a jerk of himself, that they'll realize what they're missing when they broke up with their ex, and ultimately get back together. This formula seems to work every time. So, when his cousin/roomate/best friend Dustin (Jason Biggs) tells his girlfriend, Alexis (Kate Hudson), whom he's been dating for three weeks, that he's in love her, she dumps him. This prompts Dustin to hire Tank, who reluctantly does. However, a glitch has befallen. Alexis at first hates the way Tank acts, but then begins to like it. Tank also begins to fall for Alexis. So, when Dustin is dismal to discover that Tank's job didn't work, he obsessively decides to try and win her back. Meanwhile, Tank, who is kinda seeing Alexis, must decide whether to tell Dustin, keep it a secret, or just dump Alexis. He even seeks advice from his professor father, played by Alec Baldwin, who, in shockingly raunch-mode, must only be here to fill time in between shooting 30 Rock.

I don't even know where to begin on this heaping load of pig feces. Well, might as well start with the cast. I already mentioned that Cook seems to only do a good job in a supporting role. Jason Biggs' career seemed to have ended after the American Pie series. His last film, Wedding Daze, was supposed to be released in theaters, but went straight to DVD instead. Then there's sweet Kate Hudson. The gorgeous, talented daughter of Goldie Hahn. Her last film, Fool's Gold, was a total bomb, and it seems that after this, she's heading her career into the same direction as Cook and Biggs. The jokes in this film are a complete misfire. Cook insults anything and everything and does a heavy amount of gay-bashing. The story, while I said is bold, is uninteresting and seems to only be a retread of other comedies. However, there is one tiny good thing to this film and thankfully, you don't have to watch it to hear it. As with quite a few of Cook's films, there's a good soundtrack. Once again, a Cars song headlines the movie (the title is derived from it), but there are other good songs involved too. Pick up a copy of the soundtrack instead. This is one raunchy comedy that will make its way to the discount bin quicker than you can say, "This film sucks!"

1 star