--- title: "Jack and Jill" year: 2011 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/jack-and-jill" fi1m_score: 31 critics_score: 26 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-16T15:05:39.141814+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T15:05:39.727337+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Jack and Jill (2011) Directed by Dennis Dugan · 1h 31m · MPA PG · Comedy, Family **Fi1m score: 31** · Critics 26 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* Adam Sandler takes two roles and leaves Al Pacino to find the jokes > Adam Sandler’s holiday comedy finds two roles for its star and scarcely enough jokes for either. Al Pacino supplies some welcome foolishness, but the crude humour and persistent bullying make this a wearying 91 minutes. ## Synopsis Jack (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive facing a holiday visit from his twin sister, Jill (Adam Sandler). She is loud and needy; he has little patience for the demands she makes on his attention. Jack wants to get through their time together with his temper intact, but sibling irritation soon takes over the visit. Around them are Erin (Katie Holmes), Sofia Sadelstein (Elodie Tougne) and Gary Sadelstein (Rohan Chand). Adam Sandler plays both sides of a reunion marked by slapstick, toilet humour and a brother’s exasperation with his sister. ## Review Dennis Dugan’s *Jack and Jill* is a poor family comedy whose few laughs mostly belong to Al Pacino. Adam Sandler plays both siblings, and the premise gives him ample opportunity to make each equally difficult company. Instead, Jack’s impatience keeps being treated as reasonable and Jill’s loudness as a joke that needs no further work. The holiday visit supplies an excuse to put them together, but the film struggles to find anything fresh for them to do across its 91 minutes. The screenplay, credited to Adam Sandler and Steve Koren, keeps returning to Jill’s neediness and Jack’s irritation, without giving either response much variation. We were bored, then irritated, by the repeated invitation to find her loudness funny. There is something wearing about a comedy that expects sympathy for a man simply because his sister wants his attention. Adam Sandler finds flickers of affection for Jill, but too often the performance relies on making her more conspicuous rather than giving her something interesting to say. The double performance is technically tidy, which deserves saying even when the jokes fail. Dean Cundey’s cinematography and Tom Costain’s editing help the twins occupy the same film without the joins becoming a distraction. The trouble is that the ease of putting two Adam Sandler performances together does not give their exchanges much pace. The slapstick has a similar problem: clear presentation, but too little surprise in what happens. Jack’s job in advertising also provides cover for product placement so persistent that it competes with the comedy for our attention. Perry Andelin Blake’s production design leaves less of an impression than the commercial material it accommodates. That is a dispiriting result for a film which might have used its surroundings to tell us something about this family. Music by Waddy Wachtel and Rupert Gregson-Williams does little to change the predictable rhythm of the gags. Al Pacino, playing Al Pacino, is the welcome interruption. He commits to looking ridiculous with an energy missing from much of the surrounding film, and the exaggeration makes his appearances harder to predict. We laughed at his willingness to make himself the fool, after so much time spent being asked to laugh at Jill. Some of it is strained, and the celebrity novelty does part of the work. Still, there is pleasure in a performer taking a foolish assignment seriously enough to try. Against the modest requirements of a broad family comedy, the film’s chief failure is how quickly its small supply of jokes becomes familiar. Toilet humour and physical mishaps can be funny, but here they too often feel like substitutes for deciding how these siblings might actually behave. There are signs of warmth towards Jill, enough to make the harsher treatment seem careless rather than entirely deliberate. Those moments never last long enough to make the family worth spending time with. Dedicated admirers of Adam Sandler’s broad humour may be more forgiving of the repetition, and there is nothing wrong with wanting something undemanding. The difficulty is finding enough laughter to justify even that small request. Nor would we suggest approaching this as an entertaining disaster; stretches of it are simply dull. For a family evening, we would choose something else. *Fi1m score 31, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus on Jack and Jill is overwhelmingly negative: eleven of the thirteen reviews are negative, with none positive. Most critics find Adam Sandler’s dual-role comedy crude and short of laughs, repeatedly pointing to tired gags, intrusive product placement and careless construction. Praise clusters around Al Pacino’s performance as himself, which several reviews find game, energetic or amusing enough to offer relief from the surrounding material. The disagreement concerns how much that relief counts, and whether the film’s silliness has any charm. Screen Daily finds an endearingly loopy family comedy likely to satisfy Sandler’s existing fans. Time Out settles for mediocrity but sees an improvement on his recent comedies, with Pacino supplying inspired absurdity. Those qualified responses sit well apart from the harshest notices, which describe contempt for the audience and mean-spirited treatment of Jill. The Guardian also treats Pacino’s involvement as a cause for complaint rather than consolation. ### Reviews we read (13) - **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): The review states it will please Adam Sandler fans with its broad and endearingly loopy family comedy but is unlikely to win new converts. It singles out Al Pacino's wonderfully game performance playing himself for praise. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/-jack-and-jill/5034527.article) - **Time Out**, Matt Singer (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film merely mediocre overall but a step up from Sandler's more recent unwatchable comedies. They single out Al Pacino's surprisingly energetic performance playing himself as the main source of inspired absurdity. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/jack-and-jill-1) - **Evening Standard** (30/100, inferred): The critic describes a crude comedy centered on Adam Sandler's dual role as a successful ad executive and his obnoxious sister, filled with slapstick and toilet humor. A few amusing moments arise from celebrity cameos, particularly Al Pacino's scene. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/jack-and-jill-review-7439781.html) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (D-): The critic calls it a deadly comedy that inventories new lows, with Al Pacino’s game but humiliating performance as the sole bright spot amid endless product placement and unfunny gags. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/jack-and-jill-1798170451) - **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Abele (25/100, inferred): Robert Abele finds the comedy strained and tired, like an elementary school recess that has gone on too long. He singles out the over-reliance on celebrity cameos and product placement as signs that the film prioritizes commercial filler over genuine laughs. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-nov-11-la-et-jack-and-jill-20111111-story.html) - **IndieWire**, Gabe Toro (20/100, inferred): The review portrays the film as an absurd, lowbrow mess akin to a bad Telemundo soap, with Sandler’s dual role and celebrity cameos singled out for ridicule. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-jack-and-jill-plays-like-a-telemundo-show-from-hell-255112/) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (20/100, inferred): A.O. Scott views the film as another sign of Sandler's comedy curdling into entitled tantrums and woman-hatred. He singles out the grotesque, loud, and needy portrayal of the Jill character as emblematic of the film's mean-spirited bullying. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/movies/adam-sandler-in-jack-and-jill-review.html) - **Variety**, Andrew Barker (15/100, inferred): Andrew Barker calls the film generally stupid with careless direction and a single-joke premise that was never funny. He singles out the way it completes the souring of Sandler's persona into weary, curdled misanthropy. [Read](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/jack-and-jill-1117946552/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the film dire and scary-bad, a profoundly unfunny cross-dressing comedy where Sandler plays both twins. He singles out the leaden script and the absurdity of Al Pacino's involvement for complaint. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/feb/08/jack-and-jill-review) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the film witless and sloppily constructed, relying on fart gags, stereotypes and lazy product placement. The only mildly amusing element noted is a YouTube trailer mashup. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/jack-jill-film-review-260186/) - **Slant Magazine**, Jaime N. Christley (0/4): The review argues the film is a contemptuous exercise in which Sandler openly mocks his audience with crude gags and shameless product placement, offering nothing but quick, painful viewing. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/jack-and-jill/) - **The Wrap** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a juvenile mess that is slightly better than recent Sandler vehicles like 'Just Go With It' but still a train wreck overall. They single out Al Pacino's over-the-top cameo performance as the main reason to watch and note the seamless twinning effects as a technical highlight. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/jack-and-jill-adam-sandler-new-tyler-perry-32672/) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (D): The critic calls the film a career low for both Sandler and Pacino, criticizing the drag performance, endless product placement, and mean-spirited execution while noting Sandler treats the Jill character somewhat warmly but fails to make it work. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-jack-and-jill-plays-like-a-telemundo-show-from-hell-20111110/) ## Details - **Director:** Dennis Dugan - **Director:** Dennis Dugan - **Screenplay:** Adam Sandler, Steve Koren - **Story:** Ben Zook - **Cinematography:** Dean Cundey - **Editor:** Tom Costain - **Music:** Waddy Wachtel, Rupert Gregson-Williams - **Production design:** Perry Andelin Blake - **Costume design:** Ellen Lutter - **Producer:** Todd Garner, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo - **Cast:** Adam Sandler as Jack / Jill; Al Pacino as Al Pacino; Katie Holmes as Erin; Elodie Tougne as Sofia Sadelstein; Rohan Chand as Gary Sadelstein; Eugenio Derbez as Felipe / Felipe's Grandma; David Spade as Monica; Nick Swardson as Todd - **Runtime:** 1h 31m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 11 November 2011 - **Genres:** Comedy, Family - **Budget:** $79 million - **Box office:** $150 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aft-IW9fO5c ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $12.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Nutty Professor* (1996): Another multiple-role comedy, with broader laughs and more affection for its central figure. - *Mrs. Doubtfire* (1993), Fi1m 74: Family friction and an elaborate disguise, with room for hurt beneath the jokes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mrs-doubtfire.md) - *The Dinner Game* (1998): A social invitation goes wrong, and the comedy makes its bullies answer for themselves. - *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91: Multiple roles and family resentment, handled with considerably more precision and dry malice. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) - *Tokyo Godfathers* (2003): A prickly makeshift family bickers through a holiday adventure with warmth and unruly humour. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/jack-and-jill