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Stuck on You
Stuck on You Conjoined twins seek fame in Los Angeles in the Farrelly Brothers' 'Stuck on You.'

  FILM FACTS
Starring:Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear
Director: Bobby and Peter Farrelly
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and some language
Genre: Comedy

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Official movie site

See showtimes   (PG-13) 118 minutes

Grade: B-

Verdict: More mid-level humor, bad taste and sweetness from the Farrelly Brothers.

By STEVE MURRAY
(none)

Proving that four hands are better than two, brothers Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnear) fry up piles of fast food in under three minutes (or it's free!) at their Quikee Burger on Martha's Vineyard.

They co-own the place. Well, they "co" everything, including sleeping, dating and more, well, intimate pursuits. They're joined at the hip. Literally.

In "Stuck on You," the Farrelly Brothers' latest patented exercise in sweetness and bad taste, the subject is conjoined twins (not to be called "Siamese," Bob insists). Walt is the gregarious one, easy with a pickup line and resident star of the island's community theater. Bob is the shy one given to panic attacks; his closest relationship is with an online pen pal, May (Wen Yann Shih), who lives in Los Angeles.

That's where the brothers land, following Walt's dream of becoming a "real" actor. They crash at the sleazy Rising Star motor court which, typical of the Farrellys' world view, is home to appealing oddballs. There's the owner, Moe (Terence Bernie Hines), who's trying to write a screenplay if he could only stay awake. And there's lingerie model April (Eva Mendes), who's as gorgeous as she is sunny. Spotting the shirtless brothers' condition, she giggles, "You're stuck together," as if it were as commonplace as brown eyes.

May has a harder time accepting the boys' conjunction because, well, Bob is too embarrassed to tell her the truth, leading to some awkward third-wheel dates.

Oh, and did I mention Cher (Cher)? She plays herself, roped into a lousy TV drama called "Honey and the Beaze" and hoping Walt-Bob might be just the sort of two-headed, four-legged co-star who could get her out of her contract.

As with most of the Farrellys' films, from "There's Something About Mary" to "Shallow Hal," "Stuck on You" is a collection of uneven scenes, some really funny, some not so. The new movie doesn't have the tear-inducing, over-the-top laughs of "Mary" (no hair gel, no dogs going out the window). It's middle-of-the-road stuff, with Jay Leno and others turning up as themselves, including a very game Meryl Streep.

What underscores the movie's hit-or-miss quality is its length, pushing two hours. The Farrellys share the writing and directing chores, but it would help if they had a third brother - one who edited their scripts more tightly.

What gives the team an edge over other comedy filmmakers is the innate, goofy tenderness they bring to the characters. As usual, "Stuck" is filled with atypical supporting players, from folks on crutches to a mentally challenged employee at the Quikee Burger. The underlying message is, hey, we're all misfits. No matter how far out they go with their situations, the brothers' world is a lot closer to our own than the reflection most Hollywood movies hold up.

Some might wonder if "Stuck on You" is a barely veiled comic take on the Farrellys' own relationship. They may not share vital organs, but like Bob and Walt working magic at their short-order grill, they make an efficient team. It may feel like assembly-line work. But during a holiday movie season crammed with celluloid equivalents of filet mignon, sometimes it's good to chomp down on a decent burger.

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