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Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

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Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
Deuce Bigalow sitting on a bench with the leaning Tower of Pisa in the background as a pigeon is perched on his shoe.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Bigelow
Screenplay by
Story byRob Schneider
Based on
Characters
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMarc Felperlaan
Edited by
  • Peck Prior
  • Sandy Solowitz
Music byJames L. Venable
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million[1]
Box office$45.3 million[1]

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is a 2005 American crime sex comedy film directed by Mike Bigelow from a screenplay by Rob Schneider, David Garrett, and Jason Ward. The film is the sequel to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) and stars Schneider (reprising his role from the first film), Eddie Griffin, Til Schweiger, and Jeroen Krabbé. The plot involves male prostitute Deuce Bigalow visiting his former pimp T.J. in Amsterdam, and looking for a murderer who is killing the greatest "man-whores" of Europe.

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo was released in the United States on August 12, 2005, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received worse reviews and earned less money than its predecessor, grossing over $45 million worldwide against a $22 million budget. It was also nominated for Worst Picture at the 26th Golden Raspberry Awards, while Schneider won Worst Actor.

Plot

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Former gigolo Deuce Bigalow, recently widowed after his wife Kate is killed in a shark attack, is invited by his former pimp T.J. to Amsterdam. There, he learns that European gigolos are being murdered by a "Man-whore Killer" with T.J.'s employee Lil' Kim quitting to avoid being killed.

Deuce finds German gigolo Heinz Hummer asleep in an alley behind a coffee shop; believing he is high, Deuce takes him to T.J.'s boat. After realizing Hummer is dead, T.J. prepares to dump the body in the river but decides to confirm Hummer's reputation of being well-endowed by examining Hummer's penis; T.J. is photographed during the act and becomes the primary homicide suspect. Deuce is apprehended and interviewed by Gaspar Voorsboch, a police inspector.

When Deuce is released, T.J., now in disguise, convinces Deuce to find the killer by becoming a gigolo again. Former gigolo Antoine gives Deuce a client list but is murdered; T.J. is again photographed at the scene. Deuce and T.J. visit the first client on the list, and while Deuce distracts the woman, T.J. discovers lipstick that matches the kind found on the dead gigolos. Deuce gives Gaspar the lipstick, who dismisses it.

Deuce meets Gaspar's niece, Eva, who suffers from extreme obsessive–compulsive disorder. Deuce continues to investigate different women from Antoine's list including Lily, who speaks through an electrolarynx after a laryngectomy, and Svetlana, who has a penis for a nose after being raised in Chernobyl. Deuce and T.J. infiltrate the European gigolo office, where the Man-whore Killer murders another gigolo; T.J. is arrested when he is caught at the scene again.

Deuce visits Eva's apartment and discovers items used by the Man-whore Killer. Deuce confides his suspicions to Gaspar but is again dismissed. However, Gaspar reveals to Eva that he is the Man-whore Killer; he locks her up and prepares to frame her. An unsuspecting Deuce then rides with Gaspar to the "Man-Whore Awards" ceremony under the guise of protecting the gigolos.

Eva escapes and tries to warn Deuce. However, Gaspar holds Deuce at gunpoint and reveals he was once a hopeful gigolo who was humiliated when another gigolo had sex with his fiancé; Gaspar was so distraught he accidentally injured himself with a penis pump. Gaspar reveals that he plans to kill all the European gigolos with a bomb.

Deuce evacuates the building and engages in a sword fight with Gaspar, during which he mentions non-sexual romantic ways of pleasing a woman; his words move the crowd. Gaspar defeats Deuce, but before he can detonate the bomb, Lily and Svetlana distract Gaspar; Deuce gains control of the detonator and is awarded the "Golden Boner" for his bravery. When he kisses Eva, Deuce accidentally sets off the bomb, but no one is injured. Deuce and Eva pick up a newly freed T.J., who tells them that he is entering a brand-new market: homosexual prostitution.

A post-script reveals that T.J. stops gay man-whoring and becomes a rapper called MC Extra Nipple where he didn't make any records and was shot several times. Deuce and Eva got married where they are expecting twin gigolos. Gaspar became a gigolo in prison....against his will. Lil' Kim had a penis enlargement which is now 4 inches wide. Svetlana marries a man with a vagina for a face where everyone vomited uncontrollably. Kate's prosthetic leg is turned into a bong by an old Dutch woman.

Cast

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The film also includes cameos by Elisabetta Canalis as a castle lady and Dutch actress Chantal Janzen as a Scandinavian porn star. Wes Takahashi, former animator and visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic, makes a cameo appearance as a news reporter,[2] and Katie Downes appears as a widow cleaner lady.

Production

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Disney declined to produce the sequel, deeming it inappropriate for a PG-13 rating, as they aimed to avoid the R rating of the original film. Consequently, the film was picked up by Sony Pictures, which retained the distribution rights.[3] Disney however retains 5% of the box office gross.[4] To promote the film, Sony organized a "Man-Whore of the Year" contest in collaboration with Maxim, held in Las Vegas.[3]

Eddie Griffin verified in an interview that "a really old stuffed cat" was used during the cat scene.[5]

Reception

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Box office

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The film earned $9.6 million on its opening weekend and debuted in 3,127 theaters. The film grossed $22.4 million in North America and $22.9 million in international markets, grossing $45.3 million worldwide.[1]

Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo has an approval rating of 9% based on reviews from 100 critics, with an average rating of 3.30/10. The site's consensus states: "A witless follow-up to the surprise 1999 hit, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is raunchy, politically incorrect, and not particularly funny."[6] On Metacritic the film has a score of 23% based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade C+.[8]

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Every bit as vulgar, sophomoric and thoroughly tasteless as 1999's Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. But what is most annoying is the sequel's capability of inducing laughter even as one hates oneself for so easily succumbing to the total silliness of it all."[9] Robert Koehler of Variety called it "Rude, crude and, uh, cosmopolitan, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo waves the flag for R-rated politically incorrect studio comedy but doesn't top the laugh ratio of the first Deuce misadventure."[10]

Roger Ebert gave the film a rare "zero star" rating, calling it "aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience", and describing it as "completely beneath contempt" on his show Ebert & Roeper.[11] He ranked it as the worst film of 2005, and ultimately included the movie in his most hated films list.[12] Also on Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper called the film "the cinematic equivalent of a bunch of 13-year-old boys in a locker room repeating dirty phrases they've just learned" and "dead on arrival."

Ebert also chastised Rob Schneider for his overly zealous defense of the series, referring to an incident in which Los Angeles Times critic Patrick Goldstein called Schneider a "third-rate comic." Schneider responded by calling Goldstein a "third-rate, unfunny pompous reporter" in a full-page open letter published in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Schneider further claimed that Goldstein was unqualified to review the film since he was not a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Ebert, having won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975, took it upon himself to criticize Schneider in his own review:

"Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks."

The quote "Your movie sucks" would later become the title of a book published by Ebert compiling reviews of films he had awarded below 2/4 stars.[11]

Ebert and Schneider ultimately settled their differences, and Schneider sent his well wishes to Ebert during his recovery from thyroid cancer. Ebert responded, "Rob Schneider might (in my opinion) have made a bad movie. He is not a bad man."[13] After Ebert's death, in a letter to his widow Chaz, Schneider admitted that the situation caused him to "reassess what pictures I really wanted to make."[14]

Schneider, years later, would admit in retrospect he was disappointed with the film, feeling it lacked the "heart" of the first installment.[15]

Accolades

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The film was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Screen Couple (Rob Schneider and his diapers) with Schneider winning Worst Actor.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "Subject: Wes Ford Takahashi". Animators' Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b McNary, Dave (July 31, 2005). "'Deuce' is too wild for Mouse". Variety. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Fleming, Michael (February 26, 2004). "'Deuce' wild in Sony sequel". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Fischer, Paul (10 August 2005). "Interview: Eddie Griffin for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo"". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  6. ^ Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo at Rotten Tomatoes
  7. ^ "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  8. ^ "DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO (2005) C+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  9. ^ "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 December 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-12-08.
  10. ^ Koehler, Robert (11 August 2005). "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Roger Ebert (2005-08-12). "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (2005-08-11). "Ebert's Most Hated". rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  13. ^ "A bouquet arrives". Rogerebert.com. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Ebert, Chaz (4 October 2013). "ONE ACT OF KINDNESS: ROB SCHNEIDER AND ROGER". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  15. ^ Clint, Caffeinated (6 November 2008). "Big Stan". Moviehole.net. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2020. (The main reason Schneider disliked the "Deuce" sequel is he said it lacked the heart of the original film – it was all smut jokes, without the sweet spot.)
  16. ^ "Tom Cruise Beats 4 Others (Including Himself) to Be RAZZIES©' Most Tiresome Tabloid Target of 2005"". Press release. Archived from the original on 2006-03-25.
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