Sick? No, just slick

Holding fast to their commitment to bad taste, the Farrelly Brothers have finally struck the mother lode of offensiveness. This comedy about conjoined twins has had American critics in a froth of moral indignation, and its relatively poor opening weekend figures at the US box office suggest that it may be a freakshow too far for the film-going public.

However, if conjoined twins can be the subject of a drama such as Twin Falls Idaho, or a thriller such as Brian de Palma's Blood Sisters, why not a comedy? Besides, the movie has been severely misread. Bob and Walt Tenor may be joined by 18 inches of special-effects flesh at the waist and share one liver, but the film does not primarily poke fun at them. It is a satire on Hollywood hypocrisy, and is, without doubt, the brothers' finest - and most subversive - film to date.

Bob and Walt run a burger bar in Martha's Vineyard, where their superbly choreographed skills in the kitchen have made them local stars. Bob (Matt Damon), the more retiring of the pair, allows his flamboyant brother, Walt (Greg Kinnear), centre stage. Walt, who fancies himself as something of an actor, is keen to fulfil his movie star dreams and so suggests a move to Hollywood.

Once there, after causing much consternation among agents and producers, they eventually find representation with the ancient Morty O'Reilly (Seymour Cassell), who lands Walt a part in a film. Discovering it to be a porn movie, they walk off the set in disgust, only to bump into Cher (in person) who is trying to wriggle out of a wretched television series.

Cher immediately hires Walt as her leading man, certain that with him in place, the series will tank. Of course, it is a howling success. And when the twins' condition (concealed for TV by digital erasure and eccentric framing) is revealed, they become the toast of Hollywood.

Meanwhile, Bob has problems of his own. He has fallen in love with May (Wen Yann Shih) by email. Trouble is, he hasn't told her about his brother.

Besides their physical harmony (highlighted in a brilliantly choreographed fight scene), Kinnear and Damon convey such genuine affection that their characters quickly become more important than their condition. And their jokes are casually hilarious: "Where is she gonna find another guy like you?" asks Walt when Bob and May split up; "Dunno," replies Bob. "Chernobyl?" Sick, perhaps. Funny, undoubtedly.

Stuck On You
Cert: cert12A