Who is Dane Cook? Apparently he’s a hilarious and successful stand-up comic who has somehow landed himself a rom-com career vehicle with Jessica Alba. Unknown over here, the question is, does he deserve his own feature? Yes, actually, but that doesn’t make Good Luck Chuck any better. In fact, the film stands as a beacon for the trite lethargy that has consumed this genre.
The hyperactive Cook plays Charlie, an everyday guy who gets, loses then wins back the girl just in time for a happy ending. The twist here is that Charlie is a ‘good luck’ charm for chicks: every girl he sleeps with goes on to marry the next man she meets. Once he falls for Alba, he has to avoid shagging her for fear that this will scupper his chances of future bliss.
The rom-com is a genre that has stagnated and regressed into a deep pit of formulaic mediocrity, aided and abetted by puff piece celebrity ‘journalism’ and all-but-paid-for ‘reviews’. Where is the wit and inventiveness of Woody Allen, or even ’80s benchmarks like When Harry Met Sally and Say Anything? Despite flashes of inspiration (The Girl Next Door springs to mind) both romance and comedy have been sacrificed for mindless banality and a kind of lads’ mag lust for a pretty face.
Alba’s acting talent (or lack of) is irrelevant in a film which demands nothing of her beyond looking pretty and playing cute. But at least it’s an equal opportunities gig – Cook manages just about the same, and is every bit as unexceptional. After years of indifference and neglect, the bar is so very low that this is what passes for standard rom-com fair. For God’s sake, vote with your feet and give it a miss.
