# Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
**Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo** is a 1999 American comedy film in which [Rob Schneider](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-schneider) plays Deuce Bigalow, an aquarium cleaner who accidentally destroys the apartment of a world-class male escort and becomes a gigolo himself to pay for the damage. It was released on December 10, 1999, directed by Mike Mitchell, and produced as a [Touchstone Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/touchstone-pictures) release.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) The film was Schneider's first lead role in a feature, and it earned more than three times its production budget at the domestic box office despite poor reviews.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/) • [3](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/1999/09/meet-deuce-bigalow-the-male-gigolo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 10, 1999 (United States); 88 minutes; rated R for sexual content, language, and crude humor[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) • [4](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo) |
| Director / writers | Mike Mitchell, in his directorial debut; written by Harris Goldberg and Rob Schneider[5](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1744532-deuce-bigalow-3) • [6](https://www.showtimes.com/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-1203/) |
| Principal cast | Rob Schneider (Deuce), Arija Bareikis (Kate), William Forsythe (Detective Fowler), Eddie Griffin (T.J. Hicks), Oded Fehr (Antoine Laconte)[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) |
| Budget and gross | Budget about $17,000,000 (estimated); $65,538,755 in the US and Canada; $92,938,755 worldwide[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/) |
| Opening weekend | $12,224,016, opening at No. 3 at the box office[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-14-ca-43616-story.html) |
| Critical reception | 23% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 74 reviews; a Metascore of 30, labeled "Generally Unfavorable"[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deuce_bigalow_male_gigolo) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo/critic-reviews/) |
| Sequel | *Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo* (2005), released by Columbia Pictures after Disney declined[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-12-et-deuce12-story.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Deuce Bigalow is a down-on-his-luck aquarium cleaner in [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california). While fish-sitting for Antoine Laconte, a debonair world-class male escort, he is given two rules: do not answer the phone and do not drive the Porsche. A chain of events virtually destroys the apartment, including its expensive fish tank, and Deuce needs money to pay for the damage. He mistakenly answers the business phone, is hired as a gigolo, and takes on a variety of unusual female clients. Along the way he meets the pimp T.J. Hicks, is pursued by Detective Chuck Fowler, and falls in love with a client, Kate.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) • [6](https://www.showtimes.com/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-1203/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deuce_bigalow_male_gigolo)
The story ends with Deuce choosing commitment to one woman over the escort life; his clients testify in court that what he gave them was friendship and self-confidence rather than sex.[11](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo.html)
### Sequel
A sequel, *Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo*, was released on August 12, 2005, directed by Mike Bigelow and distributed by [Columbia Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-pictures). Disney, which had distributed the original through Touchstone, declined the sequel, reportedly because the writers and producers insisted on an R rating; Sony took the project, where Sandler's production company was based.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-12-et-deuce12-story.html) • [12](https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-xpm-2005-08-18-export11-story.html) In the sequel, Deuce flees to Amsterdam and returns to the escort profession to clear his former pimp T.J. Hicks, who is wrongly accused of murdering Europe's highest-priced gigolos.[13](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/deucebigaloweuropeangigolo) The sequel earned a Metascore of 23 with no positive critic reviews recorded, and ComingSoon describes it as a box office flop that earned less than the original.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-european-gigolo/critic-reviews/) • [5](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1744532-deuce-bigalow-3) The franchise ended with the second film, although Mitchell publicly floated an idea for a third in 2024, proposing that Schneider's character mentor a younger man.[5](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1744532-deuce-bigalow-3)
## Production
Mike Mitchell directed the film as his debut. [Adam Sandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-sandler) and Jack Giarraputo served as executive producers through Sandler's Happy Madison circle, with Sid Ganis and Barry Bernardi producing.[5](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1744532-deuce-bigalow-3) • [6](https://www.showtimes.com/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-1203/) • [11](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo.html) The film was shot on location in the Los Angeles area, with one filming location listed at an aquarium business on Sepulveda Boulevard in [Culver City, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/culver-city-california).[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/)
The custom aquarium at the center of the plot was designed by the company Living Color: a 300-gallon octagon fitted with replicas of coral reef sculptures and a range of marine life from around the world.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/) Schneider said he conceived the idea after watching [Richard Gere](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-gere) in *American Gigolo*, remarking that "that's a comedy and people just don't know it." He described his character as a "lovable loser" intended to appeal to a broad audience.[3](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/1999/09/meet-deuce-bigalow-the-male-gigolo)
[Amy Poehler](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-poehler) appears in the cast in a supporting role.[6](https://www.showtimes.com/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-1203/)
## Box office
The film opened at No. 3 at the box office with about $13 million, which the Los Angeles Times called a tidy sum for a film made for a modest $18 million.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-14-ca-43616-story.html) IMDb lists the opening weekend at $12,224,016, a domestic gross of $65,538,755, and a worldwide gross of $92,938,755 against an estimated $17,000,000 budget.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/) The Los Angeles Times later reported that the film grossed more than $65 million domestically and "sold a ton of videos and DVDs"; it was released on video in 2000.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-12-et-deuce12-story.html) • [1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/)
## Reception
Critics rated the film poorly in aggregate. Rotten Tomatoes records a 23% Tomatometer from 74 reviews, with a critics' consensus that the film is "just too dumb and filled with old, tired gags," while audiences gave it 42% on the Popcornmeter from more than 250,000 ratings.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deuce_bigalow_male_gigolo) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 30, with 15 of 26 critic reviews negative, 6 mixed, and 5 positive.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo/critic-reviews/)
Individual reviews were divided. The Baltimore Sun called it "surprisingly funny, a deep-down-good-hearted take on that oldest of comedy conventions, the ill-prepared rube caught up in a situation that somehow never gets the best of him," and the Boston Globe found Schneider's fish-lover genuinely likable. The [New York Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-post) judged that the film lacked the overarching comic sensibility of contemporary Sandler comedies such as *Happy Gilmore* and *The Waterboy*. The Washington Post called it "a considerable cut above the crop of recent features by other 'SNL' alums."[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo/critic-reviews/) Common Sense Media noted that much of the humor comes from sexual references and jokes at the expense of people with disabilities, and rated it for ages 18 and up.[4](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo)
## References
1. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-film/)
2. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205000/)
3. [Meet 'Deuce Bigalow,' the male gigolo, The Tufts Daily (August 31, 1999)](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/1999/09/meet-deuce-bigalow-the-male-gigolo)
4. [Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo)
5. [Deuce Bigalow 3: Original Director Gives Idea for Sequel to Rob Schneider Comedy, ComingSoon.net (May 29, 2024)](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1744532-deuce-bigalow-3)
6. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo - | Movie Synopsis and Plot](https://www.showtimes.com/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo-1203/)
7. [There's a Method to Disney's Dumbness, Los Angeles Times (December 14, 1999)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-14-ca-43616-story.html)
8. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deuce_bigalow_male_gigolo)
9. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo/critic-reviews/)
10. [Why Disney jilted 'Gigolo' sequel, Los Angeles Times (August 12, 2005)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-12-et-deuce12-story.html)
11. [Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Movieguide](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movies/deuce-bigalow-male-gigolo.html)
12. [Re-'Deuce' is a disappointing, obscene trip, Los Angeles Times / Daily Pilot (August 18, 2005)](https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-xpm-2005-08-18-export11-story.html)
13. [Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/deucebigaloweuropeangigolo)
14. [Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deuce-bigalow-european-gigolo/critic-reviews/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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