It took 6 long years for our favourite he-bitch to return to the big screen, and this time, he singlehandedly takes on the entire male-whore population of Europe. Well, not quite. You see, the title's a misnomer, he's an American Gigolo, not European. Set in Europe you say? Only Amsterdam, where weed is legal. Doesn't even set foot in Pisa, where the poster suggests the Leaning Tower.
Many critics can't wait to slam this movie, but hey, what do critics know anyway? It's a crass movie, so steer clear if you can't take crass. You can experience the usual unpolitical-correct physical comedy on blind people, animals, the obvious dig on America and its war on terror, Canadians misbehaving themselves, nude weather girls, and yes, lots and lots of sexual humour on the male appendage and various discharge.
But I'm not all praise for this movie either, even though I was in crass-mode. There are some moments where it seemed a little contrived, that Deuce was being dumb for the sake of being dumb (he wasn't that bad in the first). Some jokes were bordering on the lame, and what made the first part interesting - the various weird girls that Deuce encounters, were very quickly glossed over.
Perhaps the filmmakers wanted a refreshing perspective, but yet unsure whether to take a totally different direction altogether. The girls became a peripheral plot to the main one, that of Deuce tracking down a serial man-whore killer in Amsterdam, and in doing so, would help to clear his friend, TJ, as the suspect. With a serial killer on the loose, the gigolos are so afraid of plying their wares, that their excuses make comic situations too.
Not since Pulp Fiction (in my limited experience) was Amsterdam so prominently mentioned / used in an American movie. The dialogue on coffeeshops brought back memories of my time in Amsterdam (no, I did not smoke nor inhale, in case you're wondering), and so do some of the scenery (I've been there!) And while there are some good looking jocks in this movie for the girls to ogle at, the guys will probably have their eyes transfixed on Hanna Verboom, who plays Deuce's main squeeze Eva. The Elite Model Look of the Year 2003 is mesmerizing - some guys have all the luck.
It might not be THE comedy of the year, but it certainly has its moments. This movie certainly is crying out the need for a better pimp!
