November 11, 2011
Jack and Jill is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a script by Steve Koren and Adam Sandler. Released on November 11, 2011 by Columbia Pictures, the film stars Sandler in a dual role as the titular twin siblings, as well as Katie Holmes and Al Pacino. It tells the story of an advertisement executive who dreads the visit of his unemployed twin sister during Thanksgivingand overstays into Hanukkah at the time when he is instructed to get Al Pacino to appear in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial.
Jack and Jill was panned by critics and audiences, although Pacino's performance received some praise. Some have since considered the film to be one of the worst ever made. At the 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards, the film was nominated for a record of 12 Razzies in all ten categories. It became the first film to sweep the Razzies, winning in each category including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst Screenplay. The film's ten wins was also a record for most Razzies won by any film. The film made $149 million against a $79 million budget.
Storyline
Growing up in the Bronx, Jill Sadelstein makes repeated unsuccessful attempts to capture the attention of her gifted twin brother Jack by injuring him or repelling others from him. As an adult, Jack is a successful advertising executive who resides in Los Angeles with his wife Erin, their biological daughter Sofia, and their adoptive Hindu son Gary, who compulsively tapes various objects to his body. Conversely, Jill is unemployed and lives alone in their childhood home, which she inherited following their mother's death the previous year.
Jill visits Jack for Thanksgiving and announces she plans to depart at the end of Hanukkah, having an open-ended plane ticket, much to his consternation. At dinner, her obnoxious behavior embarrasses a homeless guest, Otto, as well as Erin's parents, Carter and Bitsy Simmons. Jack snaps at Jill, and she flees into the woods with her pet cockatoo Poopsie. Erin demands that Jack apologize to her, which he does reluctantly.
Jill proceeds through a list of activities she has planned to do during her visit, including being a contestant on The Price is Right (she receives a variety of prizes after incapacitating herself while spinning the wheel), going horseback riding (she proves too heavy for a pony which collapses under her weight), and touring a studio. When she answers her phone in the middle of a movie, Jack reprimands her, and she exits in tears.
Deciding that Jill needs a romantic partner, Jack, aided by his children, encourages her to try online dating. She is initially unsuccessful until Jack alters her profile and posts it on Craigslist, garnering over 100 responses. A person nicknamed "Funbucket" meets her at a high-end restaurant, but only a few minutes into their evening, retreats into the men's restroom and hides there until she leaves. The staff of Jack's company, Sunny & Sadelstein, throw him a birthday party. Jill attends, but disgraces herself along with Jack and his colleagues, resulting in her ejection.
Meanwhile, Jack tries to cast Al Pacino in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial for their newest menu item, the Dunkaccino. At a Lakers game, Pacino ignores Jack, but finds himself infatuated with Jill. He gives her his phone number and invites her to his home, where she accidentally destroys his Oscar statuette. Uninterested in him, she promptly departs. Jack's Mexican gardener, Felipe, also smitten with her, introduces her to his family at their annual fiesta. She immediately connects with everyone; however, after trying Mexican food for the first time, she suffers a severe case of diarrhea.
Pacino agrees to work on the Dunkaccino advertisement on the condition that he has another date with Jill, so Jack invites her to accompany him and his family on a cruise. She insists on bringing Poopsie, despite the cruise line's strict policy against pets. At sea, Jill and Poopsie irritate everybody onboard. When Jill repeatedly rebuffs Pacino, Jack disguises himself as her and flirts with him on her behalf. Suspecting that her invitation was just to convince Pacino to do the advertisement, she phones Jack and hears Pacino in the background. Dejected, she returns home. Arriving in the Bronx on New Year's Eve, Jill discovers that the bank has foreclosed on her home after she discarded numerous bills that she mistook for junk mail.
Jill, now homeless, encounters a group of former schoolmates, led by class bully Monica, at a restaurant. Jack arrives with his family, and the siblings reconcile via their made-up language. Monica attacks Erin, but Jill defends her. Pacino arrives dressed as Don Quixote, his character in a Broadway production of Man of La Mancha, and reminds Jill that he cares about her, but other men deserve her more than he does. She returns to Felipe, who confesses he loves her, and they start a relationship. Pacino ultimately disapproves of Jack's agency's commercial, which features him rapping, and instructs Jack to destroy all iterations of it.
Also See
- Jack & Jill (2011) (TV Spots)
Movie Trailer
- Jack & Jill (2011) (Trailers)