Let’s face it: Stand-up comedians haven’t had good luck starring in movies since Jim Carrey started his whole serious phase. Maybe comedians aren’t good with set-in-stone scripts, or maybe those pesky Saturday Night Live alums are stealing all the good roles – who knows?
But in particular, Dane Cook’s track record is less than stellar – just take a look at last year’s Employee of the Month. On second thought, if you haven’t already wasted your money, don’t.
But Good Luck Chuck, Dane Cook’s latest film, is a little more romance than comedy, which might just be the niche that works for him.
In a phone interview with The Diamondback, Cook explained the dynamics of his character, Chuck Logan, and how his experience as a comedian helped him portray Chuck.
“[Chuck has] a … pretty much a run-of-the-mill lifestyle – get up, go to work, do my thing,” Cook said. “But when things start to unfold and everything starts to implode on Chuck, I got to come out of the shell.
“I have the luxury of throwing in 17 years of knowledge of how my body works and how I know to communicate feelings through physicality,” Cook added.
The film centers on Chuck, a dentist who can’t seem to keep a girlfriend but figures out why his love life is lacking when he runs into his ex trying on wedding dresses only days after their break-up. She informs him of the urban legend that explains why he can’t keep the ladies away, but also can’t get them to stick around: Every girl Chuck sleeps with finds the love of her life directly afterwards (and never is that soulmate Chuck).
So when Chuck meets Cam (Jessica Alba, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) at another of his ex’s weddings and falls instantly under her clumsy, quirky charm, he finds himself in a predicament – sleep with the hot girl or abstain in order to keep dating her (and to create some comedic conflict)?
Obviously, the latter choice is the one the plot embarks on, and both of the film’s stars have no problem delivering the laughs. Cook displays comedic talent both on his own and with Alba, who seems like a natural at falling, tripping and generally causing physical harm to herself and others. Alba, in a phone interview with The Diamondback, discussed her own role in the physical hilarity of the movie.
“Usually for women, especially in comedies and romantic comedies and things like that, we’re just meant to look cute – wear pretty dresses and smile a lot,” Alba said. “So this is refreshing because the script – I got all of the laughs in the script and it was a nice role reversal.”
Although “all the laughs” is strong, Alba does hold her own among Cook and newcomer Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) who plays Chuck’s wing man, Stu.
The classic sidekick-gone-wrong, Stu is always giving Chuck bad advice, creating hilarious situations such as the time he dons Chuck’s name tag in order to hook up with a girl seeking Chuck’s charm to meet her dream guy.
In contrast, Cam’s wingman is a little different. Her brother, Joe (Lonny Ross, 30 Rock), works with her at the penguin house at the local aquarium. A pothead with a heart of gold, Joe befriends Chuck and attempts to help him get the girl.
Not an instant classic but not a bad attempt at one, Good Luck Chuck is a good balance of “aww”-inspiring romance and chuckle-inducing moments – both a result of a surprising chemistry between Cook and Alba – that any romantic comedy fan will enjoy.
cpomeroy@umd.edu
