THREE MEN AND A LEG

The American movie industry enriches the globe with international distribution of such Hollywood greats as, um, “The Waterboy,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” and “Dumb and Dumber.” Well . . . now it's payback time! A box-office smash in its native Italy, THREE MEN AND A LEG is Europe's answer to Adam Sandler and Pauly Shore (what was the question?). The popular team of TV comics known simply as Aldo, Giovanni, and Giacomo make their feature film debut in this stupido e gran stupido farce as three hardware-store clerks who have ingratiated themselves with the boss to the point of marrying two of his three daughters. And Giacomo, reluctantly, is about to htch up to the third. En route to the wedding, however, the guys must pick up a tacky piece of fine art – a crudely carved leg – bought by their greedy father-in-law because the sculptor's imminent death will increase its value. Holding onto the wooden limb while arriving at their destination in time proves the ultimate challenge for these three stooges, soon faced with car trouble, dead pets, bad clams, soccer-crazed Moroccans, and a very pretty art-restorer who tempts Giacomo to follow an entirely different pair of legs. Intellectual it ain't, but you'll find the laughs being dragged out of you, kicking and screaming. The opening sequence, a mini-movie in itself, is a can't-miss for fans of the truly tasteless. (In Italian with English subtitles)