One Of The Dumbest Comedies Ever Made Remains A Treat, Stream With Disney+
There is a review for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo on Google that suggests Rob Schneider received his acting talent from a cursed Monkey’s Paw. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the writing of W.W. Jacobs, the curse in his short story, The Monkey’s Paw, involves wishing for something without thinking about the possible consequences. I agree with this assessment because Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo has some great comedy acting, but the acting can only do so much to serve such a ridiculous premise.
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Could Not Be Made Today
Holding firm to the belief that lowest-common-denominator comedy deserves its rightful place in cinema, I’ve got to admit that I enjoy Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo a little more than I should. Upon re-watching this gross-out comedy starring Rob Schneider, I was at first apprehensive because nostalgia has a way of tricking you into believing that the things you liked as a child still hold up. Since this movie came out when I was 11 years old, I was worried that my juvenile mind was putting this movie on a pedestal.
Turns out, I’m very pleased to announce that although I have matured as a human being, my sense of humor has failed to evolve.
Apartment Sitting Gone Wrong
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo is a film about Rob Schneider’s titular character– a dumpy and down-on-his-luck fish tank cleaner. While apartment-sitting for an exceedingly wealthy male gigolo named Antoine (Oded Fehr), Deuce accidentally sets the residence on fire while making a sandwich, but only before destroying a large fish tank, which then floods the luxury unit. Estimating that he caused about $6,000 worth of damage, Deuce needs to come up with money to fix Antoine’s place before he returns from his business trip, or Antoine will most certainly kill him.
Eddie Griffin Steals The Show
Desperate for money, Deuce Bigalow becomes a male gigolo himself after meeting with a pimp named T.J. (Eddie Griffin) who always seems to conduct business while eating lunch in his hot tub. The clients that Deuce is set up with boast a wide array of idiosyncrasies, ranging from Tourette syndrome to narcolepsy, making them undesirable in this politically incorrect context. As a result, Deuce doesn’t engage in any of the traditional horizontally oriented work that a gigolo typically has to offer, but his clients are ultimately satisfied with his services because he’s attentive, kind, and willing to look past their perceived flaws while offering them his company.
Meanwhile, detective Chuck Fowler (William Forsythe) is hot on Deuce’s trail because he has reason to believe that his wife, Elaine (Jacqueline Obradors), is one of Antoine’s many clients due to his own under-performing on the marital relations front.
Offensive, Politically Incorrect, But Has Its Heart In The Right Place
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo is not an intelligent film. It’s offensive, objectifies women, and makes fun of people with serious mental and physical afflictions that are nothing to scoff at in real life. But through its storytelling, it’s ultimately a feel-good movie because it does an excellent job of showing that everybody deserves love and affection despite whatever battle they may be fighting in their personal lives.
Knows Exactly What It Is
It’s hard for me to fault Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo because it does exactly what it sets out to do. This movie is incredibly offensive, but it’s not without charm. It goes without saying that a movie like this probably couldn’t be made today, but I’m glad it was made back in 1999 for all of the above reasons.
Stream Now On Disney+
REVIEW SCORE
If you’re willing to test your sense of humor and tolerance for such an inherently problematic premise, then it comes with strong recommendations that you stream Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo through the Hulu section of Disney+. Since this feature is still in its beta phase, you’ll need to have an active subscription on both services in order to have lunch with T.J. in his hot tub.
