In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, I’ve been quite a busy Cyber Dating Expert. Hand holding singles who were dateless at the beginning of the month, convincing singles that romance and chivalry was alive and well, and most importantly, explaining the importance of authenticity in your online dating profile and while on a date. All of that got tossed aside when I went to to a private screening of the Jennifer Aniston – Adam Sandler film, Just Go With It.
Based completely on a set of lies, the romantic comedy takes us on a chaperoned charade with Danny (Adam Sandler), a the proud commitment phoebe who had been a jilted groom ten years earlier and his office assistant Kathryn (Jennifer Aniston) who he enlists as his soon-to-be ex-wife.
When Danny suddenly falls for the hot girl Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) who finds his fake wedding ring, he has to jump through hoops to get the girl. Meanwhile,?Katherine is the only woman Danny’s never lied to. Before you know it, the newly disguised family and the hot new girlfriend are all together in Hawaii on one big fake family vacation.
The problem with lies are once you start, you end up making up new lies to cover the old ones, so we’re told to “Just Go With It” and we easily do.
The performance by Nicole Kidman as Devlin, Katherine?s self-absorbed ex-college pal, was worth watching the entire film for.? When Devlin coincidentally appears at the same hotel in Hawaii, the lies got bigger and bigger until the face-off between Aniston and Kidman at the Hula Bar. This brings a whole new meaning to the term Hula hoops and was one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
Jennifer Aniston did a terrific job playing the official wing woman and laughed her way to the bank on Rodeo Drive for her Pretty Woman-esque makeover. There?s also a Bo Derek ?10? moment in the film worth an honorable mention.
Although predictable in many ways, the lesson learned here is to be your authentic self. Living in a pretend world always has a shelf life that will expire. The soundtrack of the film was terrific and I went home humming ?Hawaii? by the Beach Boys and secretly wished I was booking my next vacation to the Garden Isle.
Would you enlist the help of a friend as a professional wingman or wingwoman to help you with your dating challenges? Does wearing a wedding ring attract more women? Comments are welcome.
Julie Spira is America's Top Online Dating Expert. She's an award-winning dating coach who's been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.
