Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo review

Deuce Bigalow (Rob Schneider) is a dim-witted though generally kind-hearted fish tank cleaner who tends the Koi carp pond at an exclusive Malibu complex.

On the eve of an important business trip, one of the residents, gigolo Antoine Laconte (Oded Fehr), learns that his prized Chinese Tailbar Lionfish has contracted a potentially life-threatening gill disorder. Reluctant to leave the fish unattended, he asks Deuce to house-sit for him and to keep an eye on his beloved pet.

Deuce jumps at the opportunity, but within a matter of hours of Antoine's departure has accidentally destroyed the 6,000 dollar aquarium and virtually trashed the apartment.

Needing money to pay for the damages, Deuce throws caution to the wind and hooks up with fast talking pimp TJ Hicks (Eddie Griffin) to try his hand (so to speak) as a male-whore.

Somewhat devoid of charisma and sex appeal, Deuce is gifted the most eccentric and specialist women on TJ's client roster, but it matters little to Deuce: he's more concerned with what might happen if Antoine returns home before the aquarium is fixed.

One of his jobs involves a date with pretty student Kate (Arija Bareikis), paid for by her friends. Deuce is instantly smitten but, of course, can't tell her that money rather than fate controlled their first meeting.

Naturally, the truth will out, and poor Deuce has to try to convince the love of his life that his feelings for her are genuine.

The latest exponent of the crude and dumb teen-centric comedies which have become such a hit with American audiences, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo is a witless and frequently humourless exercise in smut, innuendo and vulgarity.

Schneider, from television's Saturday Night Live, tears about the screen like a human cyclone, playing Deuce by turns as naive, sleazy, romantic and caring. We are supposed to care about his character because he treats all of his clients with the same level of respect, whether they be overweight, incredibly tall, afflicted by some terrible illness or just plain nuts. He looks past the physical to what lies in people's hearts. And just to put the icing on the cake, he only charges 10 dollars - but even that is negotiable.

Unfortunately, Deuce is also the same guy who goes into his local pet storeand asks the girl behind the counter to get him some sea snails, knowing full well that to reach the bottom of the tank, the girl will inadvertently get the front of her T-shirt wet, thereby revealing her breasts. A real charmer.

The film starts out quite well but quickly runs out of air, throwing in the now obligatory movie homage. In this case it's The Matrix, with one fight sequence between Deuce and a female customer choreographed to mimic the gravity defying feats of the Wachowski brother's sci-fi blockbuster. Tellingly, this gets the biggest laugh in the whole film.