Adam Sandlers Eight Crazy Nights /
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Jon
Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider |
Directed by: Seth Kearsley
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Produced by: Adam Sandler,
Jack Giarraputo, Allen Covert |
Written by: Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Adam Sandler
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Distributor: Columbia Pictures
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Adam Sandler’s Eight
Crazy Nights is one film that I know I shouldn’t like, but despite my
attempts of resistance, I still have feelings for. I found Sandler’s previous
effort, Mr. Deeds, to be just as dull as a luke-warm, melted container of
ice cream. Despite what many think, Eight Crazy Nights has a unique flare
that has potential. I can’t quite call Sandler’s efforts an exercise in holiday
magic, but the short, but enjoyable running length of an hour and eleven minutes
is surprisingly tolerable.
The
film opens up to a short skit called: “A Day with the Meatball,” where we get to
see Sandler’s dog, following his daily schedule. He is a big, fat, and stubby
canine with an interesting presence. He makes odd noises, makes love to women of
another species, and drives all cat lovers insane. This is to add to the
extremely short running time, but it distracts from the film. The short-clip is
stupid, unlikable, and on top of it all – Sandler’s dog isn’t funny. Little did
I know that things would thankfully recover.
The
animated portion of the cut is much better than the live action sequence. The
video almost immediately moves to a 33 year-old trouble-maker, named Davey
Stone, who looks exactly like Sandler. He is an adult, but doesn’t act it; and
the local judge has sentenced him to everything except real jail time. When
Davey refuses to pay a dinner bill, he is sent to the courthouse once again.
When the judge threatens to sentence him to ten years in prison, the local
basketball referee, Whitey Duvall, immediately steps in and offers an alternate
sentence. He proposes that due to Davey’s tremendous skill at the game, he be a
co-ref with him, which would initially count as community service.
When
Davey begins to call the shots in the youth league, he isn’t exactly one of the
most giving referees. He makes fun of kids, directly insults them, and talks
trash at their parents. Davey is one of the most discouraging people the county
has ever seen. One of the most comical skits in the film is the first of the
many basketball sequences. When a rather pudgy player’s chest begins to shake
when running down the court, Sandler’s character proceeds to say “Hey jelly
jugs, next time you come on my court wear a bra.” The rather hurt youngster then
starts to cry. Trying to be helpful, Whitey, the veteran ref, comforts the kid
by saying “He’s just kiddin’ son, you have very nice boobs!” We of course later
spot him in a
Victoria’s
Secret dressing room, where an employee finds him, which leads to another
traumatic childhood breakdown.
The
animation is completely hand-drawn, and does not match up to any of today’s
masterpieces in CGI, but it has a distinct, homey, look to it. The various
characters are not the thing I liked the best, though they do have an
interesting look to them; but the backgrounds are the highlight. The nice
looking, glowing backdrops are magical, and give off the comforting feel of the
holidays. It’s hard to make a film’s look match up with its dialogue, but
Eight Crazy Nights is able to pull this off. The disgusting and crude humor,
which is also funny, takes on the bodies of the characters. This flick would
undoubtedly work as a live-action Sandler movie.
Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights is pleasantly surprising. I don’t mean to
say that it is a masterful work of art, but rather comfortably durable. We are
able to get involved in the story, and have a good time, which has become
seemingly rare among today’s films. Entertainment is worth everything in the
industry today, and Eight Crazy Nights is just this. It was smart and
witty of filmmakers to put Adam Sandler to animation, and it worked. If they can
rack in success at the box office, I look forward to seeing a sequel. If the
studio is motivated enough, fans would have no problem seeing a Sandler style
flick for each and every holiday, to be released straight to video and DVD. I am
in shock that I was able to enjoy this one, but like it or not, the Eight
Crazy Nights are extremely likable.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews
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