Siamese Twins “Leaped to Fame By Sticking to Each Other”

The Farrelly brothers have changed. They are a pair of brother directors who have won a worldwide reputation from their caricatures of the handicapped, rough appearances of people, and toilet humor in their movies such as “There’s Something About Mary”; “Dumb and Dumber” and others. Have they realized something? The fact that the amusement and impression should be adhered to each other in order to survive.

With its childish title, their latest film, Stuck On You, suffers damage. But, actually there is no alternative to compare with this title.

Introspective younger brother, Bob, played by Matt Damon, and elder brother Walt, a flirter who dreams of becoming a Hollywood star, played by Greg Kinnear, are Siamese twins joined at the waist. As shopkeepers of “Thunder Burger,” they show fantastic teamwork. Faster than lightning, they produce tons of hamburgers and win local fame. One day, the elder brother Walt asserts his desire to go to Hollywood, causing their peaceful life to be swept away. Walt is picked by the popular celebrity, Cher, for stardom, while Bob falls in love with a woman through Internet chatting. The two brothers, who have been living in harmony with each other so far, gradually begin to suffer each other’s presence. At last, Walt suggests to his brother that they go through separation surgery.

The Farrelly brothers show a sign of alteration at their previous film, “Shallow Hal.” Pushing prejudices against being fat to humorous extremes, they are starting to display a generous attitude in order to overcome stereotypes. It seems that they are trying to speak of handicaps as advantages.

In the movie “Stuck On You,” there is a pleasant “overturning of relationships.” Siamese twins play a critical role in diverse fields of sports such as ice hockey, boxing, baseball, American football, and golf, due to their physical handicap. They even show multi-tasking abilities: while one concentrates on having sex, the other one enjoys playing a computer game. They excitingly ridicule the so-called normal people. Even a strikingly beautiful woman envies their physical shape, saying “Who attached your bodies together?”

This movie is totally different from the previous works of the Farrelly brothers, which mixed up various episodes from the movies for the sake of an amusement. Three different codes of emotion, such as smiles, sorrow, and impressions were meticulously included in the movie. Although they try to look away from each other by saying “I don’t want to see you anymore,” their physical feature which prevents them from turning one’s back on the other, creates laughter and sorrow.

Discussing the reality as to the incident occurred by Siamese twins is very much deviated from the essence of this movie. The attitude of this movie toward Siamese twins is full of fantasy like a fable. Although having an opposite disposition, they have to stick to each other in order to survive. It is a pleasant metaphor which points out the internal mind of humans where the egos of the darkness and brightness contrast with each other.

Together with imagination, another pillar which bolsters up this movie is the vigorous characters. Though their bodies are joined, their characters dance freely. Damon, who does not lose his seriousness in a comedy drama, and Kinnear, who starred in “As Good As It Gets,” show a magic of character which causes the audiences to cry without one’s knowledge when they laugh loudly. Cher, who appears as a woman who prefers younger men, and Meryl Streep, who appears as a musical star, show splendid performances.

In the last scene of the movie, Walt and his favorite star, Meryl Streep appear on the same stage together. But it is worth thinking over that their stage was the musical, “Bonnie and Clyde,” which has a tragic conclusion for the beloved couple. The conclusion of this twin is not as tragic as the musical’s. But they cannot walk a meter, for they depend on each other for their whole lives.

Seung-Jae Lee sjda@donga.com