Happy Gilmore 2

Director: Kyle Newacheck
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, John Daly, Ben Stiller, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Ethan Cutkosky, Philip Fine Schneider, Conor Sherry, Dennis Dugan, Kevin Nealon, Haley Joel Osment, Lavell Crawford, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Rory Mcllroy, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris, Eminem, Steve Buscemi, Eric André, Martin Herlihy, Margaret Qualley, Travis Kelce
Running Time: 118 min.
Rating: PG-13

**The Following Review Contains Plot Spoilers** 

★★ (out of ★★★★)  

Netflix's heavily anticipated Happy Gilmore 2 answers the question of whether it's really possible for a comedy classic to go home again, responding with a mixed bag full of more misses than hits. But the real concern was whether it would feel like a reunion and little else, made with the presumption fans would simply rejoice at the whole gang returning after thirty years. 

Now after actually seeing what Adam Sandler director Kyle Newacheck cooked up, we're again reminded of the original's greatness, though not for the reasons they likely intended. Their biggest challenge is following a film that was never about positive vibes or giving us a likable protagonist. It was mean, nasty and hilarious, each scene dripping with an attitude suggesting audiences who rejected it could trouble themselves to a warm glass of shut the hell up. 

While the original aligned perfectly with Happy's rebellious, anti-establishment spirit, this sequel represents something else. Given how decades have passed and characters age and evolve with its fan base, there's clearly a conscious attempt to pull on the heartstrings by taking a sentimentally inoffensive trip down nostalgia lane. But no matter how you frame it, that's just not who Happy Gilmore is. And this results in a middling effort more interested in paying tribute to the original's popularity than staying true to the character's arc.  

Having won multiple tour championships in the 90's, golfer Happy Gilmore (Sandler) went on to have five kids with wife Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen) before retiring from the sport when personal tragedy struck. After losing all his money in a lawsuit, depressed alcoholic Happy now works at a supermarket while his four sons Gordie (Maxwell Jacob Friedman), Wayne (Ethan Cutkosky), Bobby (Philip Fine Schneider), and Terry (Conor Sherry) support him and their sister Vienna (Sunny Sandler), a gifted dancer aspiring to enroll in a Paris ballet school. But after rejecting an offer to join energy drink CEO Frank Manatee's (Benny Safdie) new Maxi Golf league, Happy gets the itch to make a tour comeback in hopes of earning enough to fund his daughter's dream. 

As old friends help motivate Happy to pick up the clubs and improve his game, he's attending a court ordered alcoholic treatment program led by his late grandma's abusive nursing home orderly Hal L. (Ben Stiller). He also contends with returning arch nemesis Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), who's unexpectedly been released from the psychiatric hospital he was committed to after his 1996 Tour Championship loss to Gilmore. But with the non-traditional Maxi Golf threatening the sport's sanctity, Happy will have to defeat Frank's squad and redeem himself in the eyes of his family.

Though we find out about Virginia's death via flashback within the first few minutes, the circumstances surrounding it indicate this film's tone will wildly differ from its predecessor's, at least to start. And while it's a bold choice having Happy accidentally kill his wife with a golf drive, it does provide a justifiable, if overly extreme, explanation for his personal troubles. Uncomfortably teetering between dark humor and tragedy, it's almost as if the writers thought that Happy losing Virginia wasn't enough unless he was solely responsible. 

If much of the first hour finds Happy in dire straits, there is a clever visual gag involving his hiding of alcohol in various household receptacles and funny antics from Steve Buscemi and former golf pro John Daly, who plays "Uncle John," a fictionalized version of himself living in Happy's garage. And despite a failed attempt to convince us Happy having five kids is somehow hilarious, the overall plot of him reigniting his career to help his daughter does make for a solid launching point. 

For all the flak Sandler gets for casting friends and family, both Sunny and Sadie's performances (the latter as a member of Happy's support group) are effective. It's really a reminder that no one would care who Sandler put in his projects they just delivered. Unfortunately, his recent output has been underwhelming enough for complaints like these to keep flaring up.  

After an overlong sequence involving Happy's unsuccessful return to the green alongside a trio of recreational golfers (played by Eric André, Martin Herlihy and Margaret Qualley), the movie sort of turns a corner. Much of that has to do with the great Christopher McDonald's work as Shooter and some spirited appearances from PGA pros Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Rory Mcllory. Of those, Scheffler fares the best in a meta sub-plot parodying his recent arrest.

This wouldn't be a sequel without Happy again coming face-to-face with Shooter, but the real enemies are Safdi's obnoxious, scene stealing Maxi golf founder Frank and Stiller's Hal, whose brief, uncredited role in the original stole that movie. While his presence here as Happy's treatment counselor is noticeably expanded, the novelty of a seemingly accommodating character revealing himself as an unhinged lunatic is gone.With his mask already off, we're left with this weird guy who's just a run-of-the-mill jerk. 

Ironically enough, Travis Kelce actually comes closer to capturing Hal's phony, disingenuous attitude as a restaurant boss who fires waiter (and Happy's future caddy) Oscar (Bad Bunny). Both of them are highlights, proving how this fares better when incorporating newer faces rather than leaning entirely on callbacks. After a while, so many relatives of deceased characters start showing up that it almost plays like The Naked Gun reboot trailer if it wasn't in on the joke. Newacheck also has an annoying propensity for awkwardly inserting clips from the original, which seems equally pointless for hardcore fans and the uninitiated.                   

Sandler is Sandler in this, but has his moments, even if at times he's going through the motions and the Happy we're watching seems entirely different from the protagonist we remember. But that's probably the point. Aligning him on the side of tradition against this upstart league is a decent idea, but it's mainly to send up the ridiculousness of "extreme" sports and spoof LIV Golf with an insane finale featuring celebrities like Eminem, Guy Fieri, Stephen A. Smith, Post Malone, Becky Lynch and countless others. There must be close to a hundred cameos in this and it's overkill, making you appreciate Bob Barker's iconic appearance in the original that much more.    

We also see the return of those "Happy Place" dream sequences, but with an updated twist that's almost as humorous as anything involving McDonald's Shooter and Haley Joel Osment's tour prodigy turned rival. But perhaps realizing nothing Shooter does could possibly top his bombastic villainy in the previous film, they forego repeating that, opting to take the character in another direction, at least until he vanishes in the second half.

There's a temptation to cut Happy Gilmore 2 some slack since we get what was generally expected under the circumstances. But while many have rightly ranked this at the higher end of Sandler's Netflix titles, a legacy sequel to his all-time best comedy should probably be held to higher standards. Whether this comes down to Sandler waiting too long or just a general lack of quality control, the finished product feels like a misguided attempt at paying homage to the original while abandoning the edgy humor that defined it. That's not to say it isn't still good for some laughs, but they're fewer, even for those approaching this with lowered expectations.                             

Uncut Gems

Directors: Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, Keith Williams Richards, Jonathan Aranbayev, Noa Fisher, Abel Tesfaye, Mike Francesa
Running Time: 135 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

In the Safdie brothers' crime thriller Uncut Gems, a new bar is set for unlikable, self-destructive protagonists, as Adam Sandler's jeweler and gambling addict Howard Ratner proves incapable of encountering any situation he can't make worse by lying, cheating, screaming, swearing or scamming. Whether it's his own family, celebrities or employees, they're all forced to just look on with annoyed exasperation at his antics, which demonstrate the lowest levels of self-control and human decency. It's nearly impossible to turn away from the wildly entertaining train wreck that is Howard's life, with its awfulness and unpredictability escalating with each passing scene, culminating an almost unbearably tense finale.

Heralded as the return of Sandler to what's increasingly become one of his rare "serious" roles, this dramatic departure really can't be listed alongside other his other excursions like Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, even as it surely will. The draw in those was seeing the actor dialed way down, while this feels more in line with his recognizable lunacy. But the huge exception this time is the unusually high quality of the Safdies' darkly comic material, which channels those qualities into dramatic strengths rather than exploiting them for cheap gags or toilet humor.

Reconciling the two Sandlers has always been a tricky proposition, both for fans, and possibly for him, as the disappointing box office receipts for his more challenging efforts have frequently found him crawling back to the familiar safety of mainstream low-brow comedies. You could say it's for the money, or maybe even the emotional exhaustion of putting himself out there only to find audiences just want the hits. That's why this feels like the ultimate compromise that should please both camps while successfully litigating the many facets of Sandler's onscreen persona. And yet, the picture remains extremely polarizing, so far out there in its delivery that it's as much an ordeal as an experience.

After a brief flashback to 2010 where a group of Ethiopian miners retrive a rare black opal stone in an African mine, we jump forward two years later to the KMH jewelry store in New York City's Diamond District, as owner Howard is struggling to pay off his gambling debts. Still owing $100,000 to loan shark brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian), his relationship with estranged wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) has crumbled in the midst of his ongoing affair with jewelry store employee, Julia (Julia Fox). But when Howard's associate Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings Boston Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett (playing himself) into the store to shop, that rare African black opal arrives.

As Howard makes plans to put the special stone up for auction, Garnett becomes almost hypnotically captivated by the gem, insisting to hold on to it for good luck in his game before giving a reluctant Howard his 2008 Championship ring as collateral. But after pawning it to place a six-way parlay bet on Garnett's game performance, Howard's troubles really start, as Arno and his hired bodyguards are coming to collect. Discovering it may be more complicated than he thought to get the opal back from Garnett, Howard makes plans to place another huge bet that would turn his fortunes around. But with the clock rapidly ticking on his chaotic personal and professional life, it won't be easy.

While it isn't completely inaccurate to label to label this a dramatic crime thriller, there are plenty of laughs stemming from Howard's inability to read people and situations, almost obnoxiously bulldozing forward toward what he always believes will be certain success. He basically digs this huge hole for himself, inexplicably keeps digging in hopes of a turnaround, and ends up in a far worse position than he started in. The pattern repeats more than a few times, which is unsurprising given his gambling addiction, but Sandler keeps finding new ways to make it compulsively watchable with an unhinged performance that grips you right from the start and doesn't let go until the credits roll.

The jewelry store itself, with all its cramped chaos and malfunctioning security doors, feels like a powder keg primed to explode from all the nervous tension within, providing the perfect visual and atmospheric metaphor for the wheeling, dealing life of its owner. But fast-talking "Howie," with his schmoozing and empty promises, meets his match in Garnett, who's used to getting what he wants when he wants it. That's par the course for his celebrity clients, but the exception here being the value of this rare stone and Howard's obsession with leveraging it into a huge gambling opportunity destined to end badly just based on the number of people he's screwing over.

Seemingly everyone but Howard can sense his toxicity and uncontrollable temper, which sabotages every potential transaction, business or otherwise. You haven't seen anything until witnessing Howard attack a pre-fame The Weeknd in a club bathroom, trying to bribe his bookie, Gary (Mike Francesa) with a watch or manipulating his father (Judd Hirsch) to bid for him at an auction. If it's easy to believe that just the chance to appear alongside Garnett, The Weeknd and Francesa in a sports-related project was one of Sandler's main motivations for taking the part, we can at least take solace in the fact this is one of the more successful examples of outside celebrities being seamlessly incorporated into a film.

And in the case of Garnett, it's even better than that, with him adding a legitimacy that couldn't have come if they used a fictitious player or had another actor step in.  It just makes the proceedings feel real, especially when he goes toe-to-toe with Sandler in a handful of intense scenes. But the tragedy in Howard's story comes not from his interactions with sports figures and business associates like Lakeith Stanfield's wildly mercurial Demany, but his mistreatment of his estranged wife and kids and a stone-faced brother-in-law who's been burned by his relative so many times he's essentially had to resort to hiring hitmen to scare him into paying.

But what emotionally lands the hardest is his relationship with Julia, since it's the only aspect of his life where he doesn't appear to playing some kind of short con game. Julia Fox really gives a break-out performance as the feisty girlfriend who stands by him unconditionally, at points making us wonder if there really is more to this guy than weasely bluster, since their quieter moments is when he acts and appears most human, approaching something that almost nearly resembles likability. Of course, he manages to somehow mess that up too, leading to a scene where everything hits Howard at once, bloody and collapsing in ball of tears in his office chair being consoled by the only person left who cares. After all this guy's done, that Sandler can wring out empathy for this guy and have us rooting for his victory is a testament to how many gears he truly has as an actor, and a reminder how infrequently we've seen him display it.

That Sandler has the Safdies as directors sure helps, with them taking an unusually frenetic approach to this kind of material, with oddly effective choices that elevate both Sandler and the script. Between the breakneck editing pace and Daniel Lopatin's ambient, electronic score that seems to jarringly contrast with the picture's unnerving tone, there's really nothing quite like it. And it's capped with a literal and figurative buzzer beater of a finale that has Howard doubling down on his very worst tendencies, so optimistically smitten by his own hype that he can't see the many horrible ways his big bet can go wrong, this time with a participatory audience gathered for his self-destruction. That it bookends a film bizarre enough to open with the main character's colonoscopy should have been clue enough as to what we were getting into. But Sandler's unique take on this exhausting conman proves why each new dramatic role he tackles remains so highly anticipated. This is one of his best, even if it might be too stressful to watch again.  

Men, Women and Children

Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Dean Norris, Adam Sandler, Ansel Elgort,
Kaitlyn Dever, J.K. Simmons, Dennis Haysbert, Olivia Crocicchia, Elena Kampouris, Travis Tope, Emma Thompson (voice)
Running Time: 119 min.
Rating:  R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Throughout the 1970's, the ABC network aired The After School Special, a series of made-for-TV movies aimed at teens that tackled controversial social issues of the time. If such a special came out today, exploring the dangers of social media and technology, and you mixed it in a blender with American Beauty, the result would sort of strangely resemble Jason Reitman's Men, Women and Children. But while those comparisons seem to set the stage for the latest in a long list of pans for one of the worst received movies of last year, it's actually kind of a compliment. After all, both won awards and critical acclaim for good reason. This sure didn't, but it's certainly more intriguing than expected, and hardly the huge abomination the media trumpeted it as.

Reitman may not achieve everything he sets out to, inevitably falling short of its brilliant teaser poster's promise, but it mostly works. For better or worse, I was gripped by each of the stories that comprise the narrative and impressed by a handful of actors playing against type. The big surprise was that it was a bit more restrained than expected given a subject matter that deals less with the dangers of the digital age, but how people are really the problem.

After a cosmic framing device speculating on humans' place in the universe (sardonically narrated by Emma Thompson), we crash down to Earth where Don (Adam Sandler) is a depressed, sexually frustrated husband stuck in a passionless marriage to an equally bored Helen (Rosemarie DeWitt). She spends her free time at work creating an Ashley Madison profile while he's building up the courage to seek out an escort service and sneaking into his teen son Chris' (Travis Tope) room to view online pornography.

So extreme is Chris' taste in porn that it's actually preventing him from being aroused by anything or anyone else, including would-be girlfriend and aspiring celebrity, Hannah (Olivia Crocicchia). Her vanity proves to be a contagiously destructive influence on younger classmate, Allison (a shockingly good Elena Kampouris), a formerly overweight girl starving herself to gain the attention of an older "bad boy" who wouldn't give her the time of day.

Meanwhile, Hannah's mom Joan (Judy Greer), a former actress, is maintaining her daughter's website, taking and posting inappropriate photos of her for paying subscribers in a desperate attempt to boost her profile. Joan forms a bond with single dad, Kent (Dean Norris) over their mutual dislike of the neighborhood's cyber-watchdog mom, Patricia (Jennifer Garner), whose constant monitoring of daughter Brandy's (Kaitlyn Dever) online and cell phone activity is preventing the teen from having anything resembling a social life.

At school, Brandy finds a kindred spirit in Kent's son, the similarly depressed and introspective Tim (Ansel Elgort), who suddenly quit the football team and is addicted to an online role-playing video game. They start secretly seeing each other in what ends up being the golden ticket storyline, easily doing the best job at conveying the film's themes of loneliness and isolation amidst a world that's more technologically connected than ever. 

Okay, so when described like this, the whole thing does seem a little ridiculous. But it isn't strung together by contrivances or coincidences, as is often the case when dealing with intersecting storylines within a single film. Nothing happens here that's crazy to accept and it plays more like a collection of character sketches. Of course, some are better than others. And as uninteresting as it would seem spending two hours watching strangers text and stare at their screens, this presents that idea more tolerably than similar films exploring the subject, or even movies of other genres with characters electronically plugged in. At least Reitman can provide the reasoning that he's showing exactly what his film is about through their actions.

It's almost painful to reveal that the weakest thread is Sandler's and DeWitt's, if only because the last thing Sandler needs is anyone discouraging him for stepping out of his comfort zone and exploring his dramatic side. Here he proves again just how subtle and effective a performer he is when out of goofball mode. Unfortunately, it's in a typical unsatisfied spouses storyline, as these two downers sulk through their extra-marital affairs. This, along with their son's impotence issues (which isn't given as much time), is the weakest segment, culminating in a resolution that's very matter of fact. Those complaining this film hits audiences over the head with its themes should re-watch this story arc as its restraint is more likely to induce a nap.

The pairing of Dean Norris and Judy Greer is a highlight, with both are cast wildly against type. Norris' Kent is nervous and underconfident in the wake of his wife leaving their family while Greer plays the stage mom from hell, living vicariously through her daughter until a harsh dose of reality knocks her cold. It's an especially big jump for Norris, who's very far removed from Breaking Bad's macho, authoritative Hank Schrader as fans should be surprised just how large his supporting role is and what he does with it.

Tim having this sudden epiphany and quitting the football team because he's miserable for reasons having nothing to do with football just might be the most realistic event in the film. That's just exactly the kind of thing an angry, depressed teen would do and it feels completely earned, as does most of the storyline involving him and Brandy's secret, forbidden relationship. Touching and truthful to a fault, you have to wonder how good a film this could have been on its own, with Elgort and Dever proving why they're on the top of everyone's list of young actors to watch.

Elgort continues his streak of straddling the line between likable jock and sensitive introvert, adding depth to what could have been a superficially drawn teen caricature, while Dever conveys this world of hurt and shame on her face without muttering a word. And with Jennifer Garner's psychotically overprotective parent watching her every move, that's understandable. Would anyone go to the extreme lengths she does to shield her daughter from social media? You wonder why she even lets her daughter have a phone or computer considering all the work she must put in monitoring it.

The most interesting takeaway is that if this took place during another era, we'd still have this issue. It's the technology that's allowing us to hurt each other faster and more impersonally, as a phone or mobile device in the hands of these characters may as well be a pipe bomb. Reitman's multi-narrative approach toward presenting modern technology as gasoline on a fire is a good one, even as many didn't care for how he went about making that point or thought maybe he just shouldn't have said anything at all. As someone who's no fan of his pitiful previous effort, the belabored Labor Day, and agrees he's slipped recently, there's still no denying pitchforks were undeservedly out for this one before it was even released.

Chalk it up to low expectations or this falling firmly within the suburban drama genre I tend to heavily favor, but Reitman deserves credit for at least trying something different and achieving passable results, thanks mostly to the performances. Years down the line, when the technology becomes dated and the film's an artifact, it remains to be seen whether this effort provides any insight on human behavior. It's a movie very much of its time. Of course, that time happens to be now and the characters inhabiting it are irritatingly and uncomfortably recognizable.
        

Jack and Jill

Director: Dennis Dugan 
Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino, Eugenio Derbez, Tim Meadows, Nick Swardson
Running Time: 91 min.
Rating: PG

★★ (out of ★★★★)

It's usually bad practice to go into a movie with your fingers crossed that it won't be as bad as everyone's saying. But when that movie's the Razzie-nominated Jack and Jill I can be forgiven. And that's coming from someone who really likes Adam Sandler. So much that at the risk of losing whatever credibility I'd built up as a critic I actually recommended the likes of You Don't Mess With Zohan, Grown Ups and, more recently, Just Go With It.  If you stopped reading now I wouldn't blame you, but those films, despite signaling a disappointing direction for his career, were mildly enjoyable, if not anywhere near the disasters most critics made them out to be. This is another story. While Jack and Jill's still maybe not quite as bad as you've heard (though it's really close), it represents a new low for frequent Sandler collaborator and Happy Gilmore director Dennis Dugan. But what's more alarming is that for the first time Dugan doesn't even seem to be trying and I've actually liked most of his stuff. Everyone's going through the motions of a one-joke premise, even as I continue holding out hope Sandler's career choices are some kind of elaborate social experiment or practical joke on the ticket-buying public. But I'm probably being too optimistic.

What we have is the shell of Sandler comedy hiding behind the thin conceit of ( and it hurts to say this) an Eddie Murphy movie. This time he's Jack Sadelstein, an advertising exec who lives in L.A. with his beautiful wife, Erin (Katie Holmes) and two kids Sofie (Elodie Tougne) and Gary (Rohan Chand). Jumping right into things with practically no set-up and seconds after a somewhat inspired opening credit sequence, Jack's needy and annoying twin sister Jill (also Sandler) arrives from New York to spend Thanksgiving with them. Needless to say she's a nightmare and initially a major distraction for Jack in attempting to land Al Pacino (Al Pacino) for a big Dunkin' Donuts commercial spot. At a Lakers game (featuring an unfunny cameo from Johnny Depp who seems weirder as "himself" than any eccentric character he's played), Pacino develops a crush on Jill. Seizing the opportunity, Jack realizes this infatuation may not be such a bad thing, but most choose between his career and the feelings of his boisterous, insecure twin with whom he shares an uneasy love/hate bond. 

With this outing Sandler has now finally released a full-blown, feature-length version of one of those fake bad comedies his character from Funny People starred in with the only difference being he doesn't seem in on the joke this time. It does have its moments, like a couple of great lines delivered from Jack's adopted Indian son and a funny running gag about how Jill can't remember famous movie titles. And even in dreck like this Sandler proves he's a substantial talent who deserves better and can deftly handle both roles, even impressively playing Jack pretending to be Jill in one sequence. The problem is everything else related to Jill, who's too annoying for anyone to root for, which makes Dugan's inexplicable attempt to deliver a warm-hearted family comedy seem that much more delusional. Obviously, she's supposed to be a pain but that doesn't make it any less brutal or repetitive for audiences who have to watch Sandler prove its capable to irritate audiences for 91 minutes, then backtrack and try apologizing. Equally uninspired are the myriad of celebrity cameos than have become a staple in all his films but this time seem more unnecessary than usual. In addition to the aforementioned Depp, are appearances from Christie Brinkley, Shaq, John McEnroe, Jared Fogle, Bruce Jenner, Dan Patrick, Billy Blanks, Dana Carvey, Rob Schneider, Norm MacDonald and Drew Carey. Stuff like this can work in small doses to create well-timed laughs (as they have in past Sandler vehicles) but when there's a cameo a minute just to show off, its novelty wears off fast.

One person who definitely isn't relegated to a cameo is Al Pacino, who's featured in so many scenes it's a wonder he didn't get top billing over Sandler. I'll give him this though: He doesn't phone it in. While Pacino's recent career slide is often compared to that of his contemporary Robert De Niro, at least Pacino has some degree of self-awareness and commits to making each new trainwreck he stars in more entertaining than it has any right to be. He's justifiably been singled out as the best thing in this and the actual Dunkin Donuts commercial is a hoot, but after a while even his presence starts to seem like too much of a good thing. Dugan beats a good joke into the ground, slathering crazy Pacino all over the film to the point of overload when it would have been more effective to just pick the right spots.

Most bothersome to me is the idea of Sandler and Katie Holmes co-starring in a film together and this being the result. As a huge longtime fan of both performers there's no advance buzz bad enough that could have dissuaded me from wanting to see them together as onscreen spouses (and I still say a great comedy or drama could come from the pairing). A welcome presence in any film, the lovely, talented Holmes isn't given a whole lot to do as Erin besides sweetly support and encourage Jill while her husband does the exact opposite. She's essentially playing the perfect wife which, come to think of it, is actually pretty good casting. Her petrified reactions to the insanity sometimes create (un)intentional laughs, like when she's attacked by an in drag David Spade. While I wish she had more to do it's likely no one will remember her or anyone besides Sandler and Pacino were in this, which might be a blessing since the former should deservedly take the blame for also producing it.
   
I'm not sure Sandler thinks there's a problem here or he if he even cares. He's clearly settled into an auto-pilot mode of making these bankable family-friendly comedies but the formula's become worn and predictable, with the poor box office returns for this indicating audiences may finally be catching on. If he isn't careful he'll soon head into that dreaded Eddie Murphy territory, which would be a shame considering the talent he's previously shown when his strengths are highlighted with the right material.  But what's become increasingly frustrating with these Sandler films is how much wussier each one gets. If he wants to make more family-oriented movies as he gets older that's understandable, but why can't they be smart? Or if he wants to continue cashing big paychecks for low brow comedies that's fine also. But at least extend us the courtesy of making them angry and R-rated, minus a sappy message the film doesn't earn. Either way, playing it safe just doesn't suit him.

Dennis Has a Podcast: Oscars Recap and The Artist

Once again I join Dennis on Dennis Has a Podcast to discuss a wide variety of film topics such as our reaction to the Oscar telecast, how previous Oscar winners have held up over time, The Artist, George Clooney, Alexander Payne, Adam Sandler's career choices, upcoming 2012 releases and why you never seem to see a "Best of" list from me at the end of the year. As always, it was a lot of fun.

Listen here (54:41)

 ...And don't forget to check out previous DHAP episodes on itunes.

Just Go With It

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Dave Matthews, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, Bailee Madison
Running Time: 110 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

It's getting to the point where I dread reviewing each new Adam Sandler comedy, but not for the reasons you'd expect. After enjoying widely maligned recent efforts of his like Don't Mess With The Zohan and Grown Ups I've kind of grown tired constantly defending myself and coming up with what many claim are new "excuses" as to why they work. As usual, his latest "Happy Madison" collaboration with director Dennis Dugan, Just Go With It, is much better than you've heard, even if admittedly still barely recommendable. If nothing else, the always self-aware Sandler always knows the kind of movie he's making and in actually being likable, doesn't deserve the groundless Eddie Murphy comparisons he often receives. So other than miscasting the actor as a womanizing lothario and portraying one of the female leads as a clueless idiot, it's a mildly enjoyable comedy that's funny, doesn't drag despite its nearly two hour running time and features a couple of really good performances. As hard as it may be to shake the feeling that Sandler's phoning it in with another safe, harmless, mainstream moneymaker, there isn't too much wrong with this. 

Sandler is Danny Maccabee, a wealthy Los Angeles plastic surgeon who twenty years ago was dumped by his fiancee on his wedding day (as we learn through a flashback featuring Sandler wearing a prosthetic schnoz) and hasn't taken off his wedding ring since, believing women go for guys stuck in unhappy marriages. But when Danny hooks up with supermodel-looking sixth grade math teacher Palmer (actual supermodel Brooklyn Decker) he seems to have finally made a real connection until she discovers the ring the morning after, angrily assuming he's married. So Danny concocts a wild scheme, recruiting his longtime office manager Katharine (Jennifer Aniston) to play the role of his unhappy wife, who he must convince Palmer he's now in the process of divorcing. As the lie spirals out of control, it soon involves Katharine's kids, Maggie (Bailee Madison) and Michael (Griffin Gluck) assuming the roles of their children and Danny's oddball cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson) playing his "wife's" new boyfriend, "Dolph Lundgren." All of this takes place during an impromptu trip to Hawaii in which Danny must continue with this charade and deal with his real feelings for Katharine.

The film's biggest flaws are out of the way early with the questionable casting of Sandler as a wealthy plastic surgeon who seems able to pick up any beautiful woman half his age at the drop of a hat simply by leaving on his wedding ring. That this is done seriously without so much as a wink at the audience is a problem, but since Sandler's always there to effectively mock the material, he's the only actor who would be immune to his own miscasting anyway. Once you get past that premise and the rushed "connection" between Danny and Palmer at a party (that's notable only for a hilarious Kevin Nealon cameo as plastic surgery addict), the rest of the film does get some creative mileage out of this fake marriage scenario, mostly due to Jennifer Aniston, who for a change is well cast in an age appropriate role that plays to her strengths as a performer.  She's perfect as his sassy, sarcastic assistant who's uncomfortably forced into playing the role of his estranged trophy wife. The kids are also terrific, especially Bailee Madison as the daughter intent on using this lie her own acting audition, complete with a phony British accent. All of these scenes work, but often at the expense of the thinly written Palmer character, who really does unintentionally come off looking like the village idiot for falling for this. In her acting debut, Brooklyn Decker isn't asked to do much and doesn't, but she's okay in a role she couldn't reasonably have been expected to save. But unlike Aniston, she has no chemistry with Sandler at all and clearly doesn't try to add anything to the character a seasoned actress could have. In a fact not heavily promoted, this is actually a very loose remake of 1968's Cactus Flower, for which won Goldie Hawn her Best Supporting Actress Oscar in Decker's role so we can at least be grateful Kate Hudson didn't decide to take it. Nick Swardson is funnier than expected as "Dolph," considering the limitations of his stereotypical role.

Say what you will about the intelligence level of the plot (which basically focuses on a one giant misunderstanding we've seen dozens of variations of), but at least director Dennis Dugan has this down to a science and grasps the idea this is supposed to be a comedy and spares us the requisite big reveal at the end complete with the couple fake breaking up. It also thankfully doesn't resemble the tone deaf Forgetting Sarah Marshall from a couple of years ago where a Hawaiian vacation existed only as an excuse for its depressed protagonist to mope around a resort and whine about a doomed relationship. This trip is actually upbeat, highlighted by the hilarious performances of Nicole Kidman and singer Dave Matthews (in his biggest Sandler part yet) as a kooky vacationing married couple. Far from the brief hidden cameo it's been downplayed as, Kidman actually has a pretty decent sized supporting role as a super-competitive former friend of Aniston's that's more entertaining than you'd think, reminding us (and probably her) that she should do comedy more often being that she's good at it.

As a longtime Sandler fan dating all the way back to his early albums and run on Saturday Night Live,  even I'm under no illusion that his current comedies can compete with Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison on the laughter scale, but this holds up on its own terms. About the only huge complaint I can offer up is that it doesn't have nearly enough bite. So while it's no worse in quality than Zohan or Grown-ups, it is wimpier and makes you miss the days when Sandler took risks and was capable of flying off the deep end with his craziness every once in a while. Judging from the stupendously insane trailer for his next project, I may finally get my wish, even if everyone thinks I should be careful what I wish for. Sandler's one of those actors critics and audiences will always seem to disagree on, but it's tough denying his talent. In a perfect world it would be nice if he challenged himself again more (and I suspect he eventually will) but for now he's comfortable doing what he does best, even if some can't stand it. Just Go With It may be yet another middle-of-the-road Sandler effort but given the scorn he receives when he tries anything different, it's hard to blame him for sticking to a formula that works.

Grown Ups

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, Joyce Van Patton
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Adam Sandler just can't seem to catch a break, can he? In last year's commercially unsuccessful dramedy Funny People he even made it a point to spoof the fact that everyone thinks he makes bad movies for big paychecks. And that's sometimes very true, but unforgiving audiences have so soundly rejected every attempt he's made to stretch out of his juvenile comfort zone, that's he's often left with little alternative. Except many of Sandler's comedies aren't bad at all and throughout his career he's always had a strong grasp on what's funny. Grown-Ups is vintage Sandler but with a slightly mellower and laid back twist and as is the norm with his work, it's better than it's being given credit for. With a comedic line-up consisting of Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider you could call it The Expendables of comedy (or a 90's SNL reunion) in terms of star power, except co-writer Sandler and director Dennis Dugan don't just gather the talent up and call it a day. While containing very little plot there's still a lot going on, but it's balanced well and boasts a sharper script than expected. More importantly, it succeeds in providing laughs all the way through without taking itself too seriously, allowing it to rank on the higher end of recent Sandler efforts.

Lenny (Sandler), Eric (James), Kurt (Rock) Marcus (Spade) and Rob (Schneider) are four childhood friends who fell out of touch but are reunited as adults when they hear about the recent passing of their junior high school basketball coach, "Buzzer" (Blake Clark) who led them to a state championship in 1978. His advice to them was to live their lives like they played the game but now as "responsible" adults it's clear that advice has flown over some of their heads, or at least they could use a healthy reminder. Lenny is a high-powered Hollywood executive married to famous fashionista, Roxanne (Salma Hayek) with whom he has two spoiled kids.  Eric is unemployed but lying about it as his wife, Sally (Maria Bello) still feels the need to breast feed their 5-year-old. Kurt is hen-pecked by his controlling wife, Deanne (Maya Rudolph) and constantly mocked by his mother-in-law who gets enough insults from him in return. Marcus is a lifelong bachelor who refuses to abandon his womanizing ways while eccentric vegan Rob is primarily concerned with pleasing third wife Gloria (Joyce Van Patten), who's over thirty years his senior. Now all reunited, Lenny rents the lake house for the Fourth of July weekend for the guys and their families, but saying the film consists of them  dramatically reassessing their life priorities wouldn't be accurate, which is a relief considering that was my main worry going into this.

Your level of tolerance for the four lead actors goes a long way in determining how much (or little) you get out of this, but despite sporting an unimpressive cinematic track record of late, are all surprisingly likable here and some (Schneider, Spade) are even the least annoying they've ever been. To the movie's advantage, the plot is an afterthought as the enjoyment comes in watching these guys just hang out and goof around. That seems like an insult but isn't when you consider the majority of the jokes and gross-out gags click in a big way and a potentially sappy message about "growing up" isn't rammed down our throats like it usually is.  Sandler's past the point where he can keep playing angry juveniles so this material finds a nice middle ground for his persona, allowing him to act like a relatively normal adult while still retaining the immature goofiness that's been his trademark. His pairing with Hayek  seems off-putting at first and they'll probably never be completely believable as onscreen spouses, but they still work surprisingly well together, or at least well enough for me to suspend disbelief and temporarily buy into it. Even the subplot with their spoiled kids who act like entitled adults plays just right in striking a timely chord without sacrificing any laughs. It was an interesting decision to cast fairly well known actresses in Hayek, Bello and Rudolph, filling supporting slots that aren't usually given the time of day, a tactic that pays off as potentially thankless wife parts come off feeling more important than they otherwise would. While the roles are predictably underwritten, they're at least sharply written and none of the actresses' talents are necessarily wasted, a small miracle considering this is a guy-driven comedy. Kevin James is the most likable (and maybe funniest overall) of the four, David Spade's suitably slimy and unlikable, a restrained Chris Rock gets some good digs in, and in the biggest surprise, Rob Schneider is not just funny in a movie, but at times borderline hilarious. His sub-plot carries the film and has some unexpected developments along the way. They're are also some smaller cameo appearances from Steve Buscemi, Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows and Norm MacDonald, most of which feel unforced and are actually funny.

Say what you wish about Sandler as an actor or comedian but he knows what's funny and also knows that when you're making a comedy, you're aiming to make audiences laugh and do little else. That should be obvious, but unfortunately too many "comedies" (namely Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and most recently Get Him to the Greek) try to go all sappy and dramatic and this comes dangerously close to skirting that line in the final act. Luckily, Dugan and Sandler seem to know this and pull back, even putting a somewhat unexpected twist on "the big game" at the end, finding the right tone that other writers and directors seem to be struggling with. Grown-Ups is fairly safe and predictable, and definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of comedy, but still fits nicely under the banner of his Happy Madison production company, which boasts more creative misses than hits, never quite recapturing the magic of his two most successful comedies that inspired that name. Grown Ups doesn't either and likely wouldn't hold up at all on a second viewing, but it's smartly written and made me laugh hard, which at least qualifies it as better than most of what's currently out there.

Funny People

Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman
Running Time: 136 min.
Rating: R

★★★ 1/2 (out of ★★★★)

I was always fascinated to hear and watch stories about how people carry on with their lives after having a near-death experience. But I never really bought into the idea that you're necessarily "reborn" or become a "new person" as a result of it. Chances are that if your life is loaded with problems only you can fix, almost dying isn't going to wipe them all away. That's the central premise of Judd Apatow's third film, Funny People. That's right, only his THIRD film. I had to double-check that, but it's true. Doesn't it seem like he's made about 15,000 so far? As a writer and producer he probably has, but as strange as it seems, it really is only his third outing in the director's chair. And if recent box office estimates are to be trusted, it's officially his first commercial flop.

When his sophomore effort Knocked Up became a huge hit, I was puzzled what moviegoers found funny and endearing about a nasty, mean-spirited drama that unsuccessfully tried to pass itself off as sophisticated comedy. Now the shoe's on the other foot as I find myself defending the one film of his that has understandably been failing to striking a chord with mainstream audiences. To the relief of many, the days of Apatow indulging himself with nearly two and a half hour cuts have probably come to an end after this. But there's a lot of good news anyway.

Unlike Knocked Up (which this is about a thousand times better than by the way), what's supposed to be funny is funny and what's supposed to be dramatic is dramatic, with the two never mixing uncomfortably. It very much feels like a dramedy, if maybe an overly ambitious one. But at least there's no confusion as to what it's supposed to be. The film is a lot better than you've heard and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if in the coming years it starts to experience a re-evaluation from the same critics and audiences who dismissed it.

Funny People can be broken down into two sections: The BEFORE and the AFTER. When lonely, self-absorbed actor/comedian George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia he falls into a deep depression questioning his life and career choices. Enter Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) a sub shop employee and aspiring stand-up comedian who has to unexpectedly follow George's depressing routine at a nightclub and responds by mocking him. Despite their shaky start, George sees something in the young comedian he likes and hires him as his writer and personal assistant, much to the chagrin of Ira's jealous roomates, aspiring stand-up Leo Keonig (Jonah Hill) and egotistical actor Mark Taylor Jackson (Jason Schwartzman), whose recent taste of fame as the star of the new NBC series, Yo Teach! is going straight to his head. That's the BEFORE.

The AFTER comes when George discovers he's been miraculously cured of the disease, a piece of information the studio has curiously gone to great lengths to reveal, perhaps fearing even fewer people would turn out for a comedy they think features Adam Sandler slowly perishing from a leukemia. George uses this new lease on life to re-connect with old flame Laura (Leslie Mann), an ex-actress who will always be better known to him as "the one that got away." But winning her back from husband Clarke (Eric Bana) is a problem since George has come away from his life altering ordeal no less of a jerk than he was before, if not more of one. He still has a long way to go before he can be considered a fully functioning human being capable of a real relationship. Ira is the only person who has George's back, even if he doesn't seem to appreciate it.

Surprisingly, nothing in this film feels forced. Celebrity cameos (from the likes of James Taylor, Eminem, Tom from MySpace and a whole bunch of comedians) and pop culture references are blended in seamlessly. Even more impressively, stand-up comedy is extremely difficult to depict on film in an entertaining way and here we're not only given a (presumably) inside look into that world, but the stand-up material is hilarious. Of all the three Apatow written/directed films this one has the highest percentage of jokes that hit the mark and it's a screenplay filled with clever in-jokes that shouldn't be spoiled.

For a while things are going so perfectly that you don't ever want the movie to end. Of course, you could say that with a running time of almost 140 minutes, it almost never does. There's only one thing that doesn't completely work and while it doesn't completely fail either, it's problematic enough that it starts to become an issue in the third act, especially considering the amount of time allotted to it. Apatow makes a questionable judgement call in asking us to root for George and Laura's potentially rekindled relationship, despite being spawned from desperation and infidelity. But that's not much the problem as it's a reflection of George's immorality, of which only Ira seems able to see. The problem is, save for a couple of flashbacks, we're not given enough background on their relationship to really care about it all that much.

Apatow didn't necessarily craft a role for his wife that's underwritten since she gets plenty of screen time and is given a lot to do, but that's not to say it could have been written better. Sure, we don't want Laura leaving her husband and kids (played by Apatow and Mann's real life daughters) for the selfish George but we don't want her staying with her jerk husband either. This gives us no one to root for and and a host of unlikable people, chief among them Laura for her awful judgment. Luckily, she played by Mann who's able to conceal much of that and I was just so happy to finally see her in a well deserved major role that I hardly noticed the writing flaw. Bana, who was the subject of Knocked Up's most memorable joke, helps save the final act by showing a charisma and gift for comedy we never knew he had. Or at least we wouldn't know he had it from watching Munich, Hulk or Troy. It's a real shocker. Almost as shocking as the fact that Bana used to be a stand-up comedian.

I'm not sure that this is Sandler's best performance but I am positive that George Simmons is my favorite character that Sandler has ever played, mainly because it recalls so much of what I always imagined he's really like. For those like me who grew up watching him on SNL and listening to his early comedy albums it's thrill to see him sending up his own image like this and the incorporation of his early career footage into the film just adds to that authenticity and nostalgia.

It's difficult to discern the game Sandler's playing with us in taking this role, if it's a game at all. Is this some kind of admission of guilt or apology for making the choices he has in his career, despite the fame and success it's brought him? Or is he laughing at us for being stupid enough to enjoy them? Is he in on this joke? We'll never know, but the cruel irony is that after the commercial failure of this film Sandler will once again have to go back to making the same kinds of movies he appears to be mocking himself for in this picture. We criticize his "sell-out" choices but whenever he attempts to stretch with more meaningful work like this we hate him for it. It makes me wonder if George's speech about people expecting too much from him could have come from Sandler himself. Scarier still, he may be right.

As interesting as his performance is, it isn't the best in the film. Rogen's is. Even though many feel as if he's been overexposed of late, he just seems to get better and better with each role he takes. Despite the comedic elements surrounding him, he gives Ira a full-fledged dramatic arc, making his friendship with George the focal point from which everything else in the story bounces off of. Because Rogen's work is subtly present and understated (words I never thought I'd ever use to describe a performance of his), it isn't instantly obvious how well he serves the material. Had another actor been cast in the part this wouldn't have been the same experience at all. And bonus points to Apatow for cleverly incorporating Rogen's recent weight loss into the character's backstory.

As autobiographical a film as this is for Sandler, it feels like it could be even more autobiographical for Apatow, kind of like he was shooting for his own Almost Famous. We knew this guy was a major writing talent when his his TV series Freaks and Geeks was cancelled almost a decade ago, but I don't think anyone (including him) had a clue he would go on to enjoy the kind of success he's had. This movie seems like his way of reconciling that and maybe just stopping for a breather to take it all in.This looks and feels like his first real adult movie and more like the kind of film that would be directed by James L. Brooks and released into theaters during awards season (he even employs Schindler's List and Munich cinematographer Janusz Kaminski ). He really came to play this time. And as oppressive as it's running time might seem to be on paper it didn't FEEL long to me, at least compared to other movies these past few years that have abused their running times.

This picture was on my list of most anticipated films of 2009 not because I thought it would be some kind of masterpiece (which it isn't) but because I know no matter what Apatow does right or wrong it's almost always guaranteed to be more interesting than a lot of what else is out there. Go figure I would enjoy the ugly step-child in his filmography this much. At best, Funny People will have a far longer shelf life than most expect, or at worst, be remembered as a fascinating curiosity in the career of one of comedy's most influential voices.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Turturro, Rob Schneider, Lainie Kazan, Nick Swardson, Ido Mosseri, Michael Buffer
Running Time: 118 min.
Rating: Unrated

*** (out of ****)

You Don’t Mess With The Zohan is the kind of comedy where your mind is made up that you’ll hate it even before the opening credits roll. I know mine was. Adam Sandler’s track record hasn’t exactly been stellar of late and the film’s posters, starring his crotch, didn't implore me to change my prediction. Combine that with the fact that this film’s director, Dennis Dugan, made one of Sandler’s worst comedies, last year’s dreadful I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, there was virtually no chance this could be any good. Thankfully, it was the Dennis Dugan that directed Happy Gilmore who decided to show up for work instead and he brought THAT Sandler with him.

This doesn’t recapture the hilarious highs of Sandler’s mid-90’s output, but it’s his first comedy in a while that knows its goal and accomplishes it. It’s a just a stupid, mindless fun that’s laugh-out loud funny and actually a lot less stupider than you’d imagine. It’s almost a relief to see a movie revel in absurdity like this after watching a downer like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a “comedy” that should have screened in couples therapy sessions instead of theaters. Coincidentally, producer of that film, Judd Apatow, co-wrote this, which just further proves he’s at his strongest when handling stupid material. It’s also a reminder that comedies only have one job: To make us laugh. There are different ways to get there and this one’s route is pretty standard, but it works.

When Sandler brings his “A” game (or at least B+) you start to notice the difference between him and someone like Will Ferrell, who always looks like he’s working hard to get laughs (recently harder than ever). Sandler’s just got it and this movie introduces us to one of his most bizarre, over-the-top characters, which is saying a lot. All of this would be enough to recommend the picture, but when you also thrown in a bunch of inspired cameos that are hilarious not only because of who they are and what they do, but the enormity of their roles, you have one of Sandler’s better recent comedies.
The Zohan (Sandler) is an Israeli counter-terrorist with a love for hair styling, disco dancing and hummus. When he’s not fighting baddies like The Phantom (John Turturro), he dreams of escaping the violence in his own country to come to America and work under his idol, hairstylist Paul Mitchell (who unsurprisingly appears as himself at one point). He sees his opening after a battle with The Phantom and fakes his own death, fleeing to New York City to embark on his new career path. Now going under the moniker “Scrappy Coco” he goes to work for feisty Palestinian hairstylist Dalia (Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui) and soon graduates from janitorial duty to actually cutting hair. But the more popular Scrappy becomes (especially with the elderly women) the more at risk he is of having his secret identity exposed, specifically by a terrorist taxi driver (Rob Schneider) with a grudge. He must also save the neighborhood from a greedy Trump-like real estate developer played by Michael Buffer (yes, the ring announcer!)

I’ll be the first to admit that on paper few movies would probably look as awful as this: A slapstick comedy about terrorism set in New York City starring Adam Sandler. Somehow though, against all odds, Dugan and Sandler make it work. I couldn’t believe I was actually laughing at stuff this stupid but I was. With its foreign fish out of water plot the movie almost aims to be a scripted, fictionalized version of Borat, throwing the clueless protagonist in a foreign land and just watching everyone react to him. The result is supposed to bring ethnic stereotypes (or at least perceptions of them) to the forefront. This isn’t as subtle or clever as that film and it doesn’t for a second pretend to be. The sole purpose of this movie is to watch Sandler act like an idiot, and honestly, few do it better. He really lets himself go loose like a wild man here, which he hasn’t done in some of his other recent efforts.

The jokes come a mile a minute, they’re cheap and easy, but most of them hit thanks to him. The early fight scenes are hilariously choreographed, establishing The Zohan’s goofiness and ineptitude, yet seemingly superhuman physical prowess. When he gets to New York the story kicks into high gear, especially the scenes at the hair salon. Yes, sure it’s stupid, but there’s a montage of The Zohan cutting old ladies’ hair and then having his way with them in the back room when he’s done that had me cracking up. And I’m sorry, when one of those women happens to be Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life, its funny. And that just scratches the surface as far as some of the bizarre cameos that occur throughout the film, some I can’t spoil. But a few I can.

Mariah Carey has a role late in the film that’s ridiculously large, as if the producers were so impressed with her work in Glitter that they expanded the third act to showcase her. She’s hilariously awful, but that’s the point. Rob Schneider is surprisingly not awful in his role as a terrorist cabbie which comes as a relief after his unfunny, bordering on offensive, turn as an Asian stereotype in Chuck and Larry. This was the first movie in years I can recall where Schneider actually got some laughs from me, specifically a scene where we witness his characters’ lack of negotiating skills.

The casting of non-actor Michael Buffer as an arrogant tycoon is so random and insane that it’s actually kind of brilliant. I won’t try to convince anyone he’s worthy of an AFI tribute for his performance but boy was it hilarious seeing him in the role and he gets off some great lines. Even funnier is the casting of his right-hand man, a well- known musician in mustachioed disguise as a racist, xenophobic, homophobic redneck stereotype.

The big mistake Chuck and Larry made was attempting to be politically correct and tell a real story. In doing that it unintentionally came off more offensive than it could have ever been otherwise. Here, the goofy script (co-written with Apatow by Sandler and Saturday Night Live’s Robert Smigel) frees them up to lampoon foreign stereotypes and the laughs come much smoother because of it. Considering relations between Jews and Palestinians in a post-9/11 world isn’t exactly the most promising subject for parody, that this is consistently funny most of the way through is somewhat of a miracle.

Also, watch for Nick Swardson’s priceless facial expressions as the put-upon loser who gets roped into inviting Zohan to stay with him and his overweight mother (played by Lainie Kazan). Strangely, this is actually one of Sandler’s more likable characters, missing that mean streak that has become a trademark of his worst outings. His antics thankfully this time result from stupidity rather than nastiness. The romance between him and Chriqui’s character works fine and accomplishes what it needs to while not feeling forced or tacked on.

There’s a trend that been occurring lately with these comedies, where hour and a half versions of them are released in theaters, then they hit DVD with longer, unrated special editions. I hope it stops, but given how much money the studios make on them, we know that’s not happening anytime soon. There’s just no need for a slapstick comedy like this to ever be 118 minutes.

With dramas I see where there could be a need for an unrated, extended cut (and a few of them have been superior to the theatrical one) but for comedies like this it’s pointless. Their stories are thinner, things need less fleshing out and usually the tighter the running time the better. That said, I didn’t feel this dragged during its nearly 2-hour running time and was thoroughly entertained, which only makes me imagine how much better and tighter the 90-minute theatrical version is. A scary thought. That’s the one I probably should have watched. I also don't really care about watching outtakes and hearing about how much fun they had on the set on the SUPER DUPER UNRATED OVEREXTENDED UNCUT UNCIRMCUMCISED UNPROTECTED SHAKE AND SHIMMY 15-DISC EDITION, only to be replaced next year with a better edition when its sequel is released and you can get a free movie ticket inside. This isn’t There Will Be Blood or The Dark Knight. There are no benefits to hearing in excruciating detail how it was made.
After his bids for dramatic respectability in films like Punch-Drunk Love and last years’ Reign Over Me were met with commercial indifference, Sandler (a lot like Ferrell and Jim Carrey) has returned to the slapstick comedy he knows best. That regressive career trajectory is only a problem if the movies aren’t funny. But this is. Anyone who can’t stand Sandler will hate it but devotees who appreciate when his humor is channeled in the right direction will find a lot to like in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. Is he above this type of thing already? Absolutely. Should he move on? No doubt. But he’s entitled to have some fun every once in a while… and so are we.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Director: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi
Running Time: 110 min.
Rating: PG-13

** (out of ****)

It's okay to be gay! In case you didn't know that, just see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, a movie that gladly shoves that message down your throat for two hours. It's a shame too, because as far as raunchy comedies go it isn't completely worthless and until it starts patting itself on the back for its message the movie is at least somewhat entertaining. That this isn't the total bomb everyone has claimed it to be is something of a miracle considering the quality of the script and that can be largely attributed to the performance of an actor whose name happens to NOT be Adam Sandler.

Contrary to what you've heard, the film probably wouldn't be offensive to gays, who are more likely to just find the whole thing stupid, which it's supposed to be and is. The movie is too busy offending other groups like New York City firefighters (who are made out to look like complete morons) and Asians, as the film features the worst Asian American stereotype since Mickey Rooney's appearance as a Japanese neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The film is overlong and predictable, but contains a couple of laughs, most of which are provided by the supporting characters. After a while though it starts to be too much and it feels like we're being hammered over the head repeatedly with a feel-good message. And the message is an odd one considering the type of movie this is. When Lance Bass shows up to sing a George Michael song you know we've officially gone to hell and there's no turning back.

In a predictable set-up, FDNY firefighter and recent widower Larry Valentine (Kevin James) must re-marry so his kids can become the primary beneficiary of his pension. Obviously straight, but still grieving the death of his wife Larry is unwilling to allow another woman into his life and convinces his reluctant womanizing co-worker Chuck Levine (Sandler) to enter a "domestic partnership" with him.

According to Larry, Chuck "owes him" for saving his life in a burned house and their attempts to pull of this blatant scam soon catches the eye of the government. They seek out lawyer Alex McDonough (Jessica Biel), who warns them that a specialist will start tracking their every move, hoping to expose them as frauds. That Steve Buscemi plays this specialist is one of the film's few delights. The others are a sub-plot involving Larry's unease with the behavior of his very effeminate son (played well by Cole Morgen) and an amusing supporting turn by Ving Rhames as a firefighter with a secret. Gee, I wonder what that secret could be.

The script, which occasionally has its moments, is unfortunately plagued with a big problem that's been infecting most Hollywood comedies these days: Trying to milk laughs from topics that just aren't funny. Early in the picture Sandler's Chuck is making jokes about Larry's deceased wife. Are we supposed to laugh? I don't know about you but I don't know how many best friends would light-heartedly joke about something like that, or how many of them I'd consider "best friends" if they did. It seems to writers felt they had to treat Larry's wife's death as a joke since it was the only way the script could believably get Chuck and Larry into this union.

Rob Schneider appears out of nowhere as a Japanese priest, complete with slanted eyes and yellow skin. How funny. Firefighters are treated as being so clueless in this movie that you'd think they've never seen as gay person in their lives. An alien invasion wouldn't cause as much shock for them as homosexuality. Gay characters seem to appear out of the woodwork, including the neighborhood mailman. The stupidity kicks into overdrive heading into the final act as the movie celebrates the joys of being gay, despite spending most of its running time making fun of it. We're also punished with some grandstanding courtroom drama and a really embarrassing speech from Dan Aykroyd (!) as the fire chief.

Sandler is Sandler in this. He's funny sometimes and annoying at others. What saves this film from a descent into the abyss is the chemistry between the two leads, specifically the likeable performance from Kevin James, who proves here that he's capable of carrying a comedy and deserves the opportunity to star in a really good one in the future. That his name will forever be attached to this project is sad because he actually does a terrific job.

As simplistic as the script is, Sandler and James play off one another well and are believable both as best buddies and New York City firefighters. They do look like they're having a good time, which goes a long way and prevents the film from being completely unentertaining. Had it ended twenty minutes earlier and spared us a lesson in gay rights we could have possibly had something.

I was frightened when I heard Jessica Biel would be portraying an attorney, but surprisingly she wasn't too bad. What's amusing though is she's believable in the scenes where she's practicing law and speaking legalese, but when the action shifts outside the office and she has to act like a normal person it comes off all wrong and rings false. Maybe she missed her calling and should have become a lawyer instead of an actress.

The possible romance with her and Sandler's character seems like an afterthought since the film seems much more interested in throwing a gay pride parade than exploring any heterosexual relationship. It may seem like a obvious complaint, but it's impossible to believe Biel's character would even consider these two guys are anything but straight. A smarter script would have had her slyly taking them along for the ride to teach them a lesson.

This is one of those comedies that when it ends you think it wasn't that bad, then about 10 minutes later you realize it really was. It's also a strange curiosity in that it's a gay comedy that appears to be aimed at a straight audience. Whoever it's for, it's a misfire. What the film's marketing team has gone to great lengths to avoid, but I would have plastered on the DVD cover, is that this mess was co-written by Alexander Payne, the Oscar winning scribe who gave us such films as Election, About Schmidt and Sideways.

The studio should have instead trumpeted this fact to give us all inspiration that even the best of us can run into a brick wall creatively every once in while. Since there are two other writers credited we may never know just how guilty Payne is but that he had a hand in it at all is disturbing enough news for me. I have little doubt a documentary exploring that topic would be funnier than most of what we experience in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

Reign Over Me

Director: Mike Binder
Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Robert Klein, Melinda Dillon, Mike Binder
Running Time: 124 min.
Rating: R

***1/2 (out of ****)

For 124 minutes unpleasant memories of Click and Little Nicky disappear as Adam Sandler gives the best performance of his career and one of the best this year in Reign Over Me. It's the performance we've been hoping he could give his whole career, but doubted he had the capability of pulling off. Before I saw this movie a friend of mine described it to me as "scary." I wasn't sure how that word could possibly be attributed to any Adam Sandler movie but now after viewing it I see what he's talking about. All the Sandler mannerisms we've become accustomed to over the years are all mostly still there in this performance, except this time when they come out they're exploited for maximum dramatic effect instead of goofy comedy and the results are frightening, but brilliant.

I wish I could say writer/director Mike Binder's follow-up to his underrated 2005 film The Upside of Anger is as good the performance Sandler gives him here but that I can't. That's more of a compliment to his performance than a knock against the film, which on the whole is quite great and one of the better movies this year. I have a feeling this is one of those cases where the script probably doesn't read that well, but in the hands of the right actors and a very competent director the material is elevated. It isn't perfect running a bit long and piling on the melodrama at times (especially toward the end), but the strong performances and some intelligent writing manage to keep everything in check.

New York City dentist Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) is going through the motions at home and work. He's uncommunicative with his wife Janeane (Jada Pinkett Smith) who he thinks is denying him any freedom and at the office he's slapped with a wrongful sexual harassment suit by an attractive patient (Suffron Burrows) who propositions him oral sex, much to the disgust of his unsupportive colleagues. With no one to confide in about anything Alan inappropriately hounds a psychiatrist (Liv Tyler) who works in his building for life guidance.

Things start to change when he bumps into old college roommate Charlie Fineman (Sandler) riding the streets on his motorized scooter and plugged into his headphones. Seeing an opportunity to fill a void for himself Alan tries to befriend the eccentric Charlie, who's been living in a fantasy world after shutting himself off from everyone after the loss of his family in the September 11th attacks. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, it's too painful for Charlie to bring himself to remember he even had a family, effectively distracting himself with his vinyl record collection, never ending kitchen remodeling and video games.

Charlie refuses to speak to or acknowledge his in-laws (Robert Klein and Melinda Dillon) and his attorney and former best friend (played by Binder) can't get through to him at all. The only one who seems able to is Alan since his knowledge of Charlie and his life is essentially limited to the time they spent together in college. He didn't know Charlie's wife and daughters and presumably won't ask questions, so it's safe. Alan knows what happened though and as their friendship grows deeper it's an issue that's bound to come up. With this new friend, Alan is finally able to let go and have fun but Charlie's mental illness hangs over their friendship like a dark cloud and he's eventually faced with the difficult choice of whether he should get him help or remain an enabler like everyone else.

I'm sure I echo the feelings of many when I say the prospect of seeing an Adam Sandler 9/11 drama didn't exactly have me bursting with anticipation and excitement, but this isn't about September 11th. It's about how we felt, or didn't feel afterwards. This isn't World Trade Center or United 93. You could replace the event with any tragedy and we'd essentially have the same story. It's about this man trying to cope with his own grief and the friend who helps him do it. If September 11th can be replaced by any other tragedy in this film the question is: "Why didn't Binder just replace it?" Only he can answer that question and it isn't my place to judge the moral agenda of the filmmaker, just the film. I can only tell you how it's handled and leave it up you whether you want to see something like this.

You may think that tragedy should not be invoked under any circumstances in any film as a plot device and I can't say I'd blame you for it, especially when it's not completely necessary. That this detail adds an extra undercurrent of drama may make you uncomfortable, like the tragedy is being exploited. All I can say is that I won't look a gift horse in the mouth and just be relieved that Binder treats this emotional situation with the realism and intelligence it deserves. If he didn't there's no doubt we'd have an offensive disaster on our hands. You can tell as a writer he did the research of how a traumatic event of this magnitude would affect someone and he didn't cut any corners doing it.

What Binder really manages to capture well is the feeling of being around someone so unpredictable and unhinged you're never quite sure how to act around them or what will be the next thing to set them off. That's taken to the absolute extreme with Sandler's Charlie Fineman and the result is some very intense and uncomfortable scenes. One, in Alan's office, is almost too difficult to watch for its realism. There's always this sense that Charlie's on the cusp of his breaking moment for well over an hour, but we have mixed feelings on whether we ever want it to come. If he breaks, it may help. Or, it just may make things worse.

What's most impressive about Sandler's performance are the subtle hints he gives that there was once a normal guy underneath all this odd, anti-social behavior. The best scenes of the film involve the two just goofing around and having fun. Charlie's daily rituals of record collecting and playing his Shadow of the Colossus video game become Alan's as he finds a way to escape the doldrums of his daily existence. Don Cheadle is one of the best actors working today and his performance here, while not as flashy as Sandler's, is just as important a contribution. He's an expert at playing ordinary men caught in huge moral quandaries and the chemistry he shares with Sandler is what drives the film forward and helps it stay afloat in more problematic sections. It isn't easy to know the right notes to hit or how to react in playing opposite a performance as huge as Sandler's. Cheadle, as always, delivers without ever drawing unneeded attention to himself. He's an actor's actor if there ever was one and this film is yet another notch in his belt of great performances.

Alan's wife, which could have easily been written or played as a nagging hag (think Thandie Newton's character in the Pursuit of Happyness) isn't. She's just concerned about the well being of her husband and Pinkett Smith's seemingly effortless work keeps the character real even when her behavior threatens to cross that line. Their marriage never seems unhappy, but rather just stifling for Alan. A scene where she confronts him about his true motivation for befriending Charlie, and what it means for them, is a keeper.

Liv Tyler probably wouldn't be anyone's first choice to play a psychiatrist but the movie wisely acknowledges and plays with that notion presenting the character as somewhat thrown by the situation she's been put in. I liked that she knew how not to push Charlie too far and the quiet way Tyler conveyed it. The movie risks descending into theatricality with a courtroom showdown late in the film, but really, it would be an issue whether or not this man is mentally fit to be out on his own. The film may not answer that question definitively, but Donald Sutherland has a good cameo as a grouchy old judge intelligent enough to see something everyone else is missing. I don't even know what to make of the bizarre sub-plot involving Alan's sexual harassment accuser and am perplexed why she's not only still around at the end of the film, but an active participant in this story. That was either a really clever or incredibly stupid decision on Binder's part. I still can't make up my mind which.

Music plays a huge role in the film as the soundtrack choices of Bruce Springsteen, The Who (whose Love Reign O'er Me provides the inspiration for the film's title), The Pretenders, Jackson Browne and Bob Seger reflect the music on Charlie's ipod. Some may think Binder's use of it in the film is manipulative, but it isn't. Honestly, how many times have you buried yourself in your ipod to escape all your problems? I know I do it every day. This is a severe depiction, but for good reason. If anyone was dealt the blow this man has they'd never take off those headphones and with no real life anymore this music is all he has left. It becomes Charlie's sanctuary from his loss and a shield against uncomfotable encounters with those who want to remind him of it.

Binder also gives us one of the best depictions of New York City I've ever seen in a film. Rather than overdoing it with grand, sweeping shots, he just lets the characters take us on their journey through the sidewalks and streets. He just places the camera with them and lets the city do all the talking. There are plenty of movies shot in New York but most of them are done in such a way that you don't even feel like it is. It may as well be Toronto or a studio backlot in California. Whether or not you believe New York really is "the greatest city in the world" (I don't) this is one of the few movies that can actually make a case for it and Mayor Mike Bloomberg owes Binder and cinematographer Russ Alsobrook a thank you note.

Resembling a young Bob Dylan with his shaggy hair and scruffy unkempt appearance, this is Sandler's finest hour. Actually, he so closely resembles Dylan in appearance that it got me thinking it's a shame we already have an upcoming Dylan biopic on its way because Sandler would have been perfect for the role. After this I'm actually convinced he would have the dramatic chops to effectively pull that off. It would be nice if he got some awards recognition for his work here but unfortunately the rest of his acting resume is so low brow it would take nothing just short of a miracle for that to happen.

We've also seen that the Academy doesn't respond to favorably to movies dealing directly or indirectly with the events of 9/11. Anyone, who like me, grew up as a fan of the Sandler comedies of the 90's you're in for a real treat. He understandably has many detractors who find him irritating but they'll even have to be impressed with what he pulls off in this one.

It's unfortunate Sandler has lately found himself in the same type-casting quandary as Jim Carrey. Audiences complain they play the same role over and over but when they try to stretch and give good performances in dramatic films that aren't as easily accessible their fans want no part of it. I hope the lackluster response to this very affecting film doesn't dissuade Sandler from taking more risks in the future. Whatever direction he chooses to go, Sandler proves here that he can bring the goods, making Reign Over Me an emotionally draining, but ultimately very satisfying experience

Click

Director: Frank Coraci
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff, Henry Winkler, Sean Astin
Running Time: 107 min.
Rating: PG-13

** (out of ****)

With Click, Adam Sandler has officially made his worst movie. It takes one joke and hits us over the head with it over and over again, nearly forcing us into submission. Worst of all, it doesn't even have the conviction to stay true to it's roots as a slapstick comedy and delivers a final act so out of line with the rest of the picture you'd think somebody stole the final reel and replaced it with the ending of another film. It asks us to believe the impossible. Not that Adam Sandler has a universal remote that controls his universe, but that he's an architect married to Kate Beckinsale and a semi-responsible adult and parent. This is a kinder, gentler Adam Sandler and it doesn't work at all.

Sandler plays Michael Newman, one of those dads who's too busy with work to find time for his wife (Beckinsale in a completely thankless role) and kids. He's expecting a huge promotion from his clueless boss (David Hasselhoff) and must work around the clock to get it, virtually ignoring all of his familial duties, including a camping trip and Fourth of July picnic. He makes a stop one night at Bed, Bath and Beyond looking to purchase a universal remote control and finds himself in the "Beyond" section with a wackjob named Morty (a looney Christopher Walken) who pushes a cool new remote on him. This is the movie's one joke as the remote control allows Michael to rewind, pause, mute or fast forward any part of his life. I wonder if he'll abuse it. Only we find out later, it has a memory (like TIVO) and everything starts spiraling out of control when the remote takes over, attempting to carry out every function from memory it thinks Michael wants.

There are some funny moments early in the film. Scenes where Michael fast forwards through sex, fights with his wife, an annoying family dinner, and anything involving his dog are pretty good (if not repetitive after a while). Then the movie just flies off the tracks when it tries to tackle life lessons and gets very serious. Dead serious. The way the it does this is so bizarre, it ends up being the most (unintentionally) hilarious thing in the picture. The ridiculous lengths the screenplay goes to to show us that Michael isn't appreciating life by fast forwarding it is unreal. Without giving too much away, let's just say people die, Michael's hospitilized (twice!), three actors each play Michael's kid and there are some really bad make-up jobs. What unfolds is so tonally off from all that preceded it it's as if the filmmakers thought this was It's a Wonderful Life. It also delivers an unearned ending that's a complete cheat and made me think this whole enterprise was even more of a waste than I originally thought.

When David Hasselhoff is the funniest thing in your movie you know there's a problem, and I'm not even sure he was funny or I was just laughing because it was David Hasselhoff. Admittedly, Jennifer Coolidge was also pretty good as the oversexed next door neighbor. I'm sure a comedy about them would have been better than this. I understand the need for Adam Sandler to grow up for his audiences, but can't it be in a good movie? And can't we get a little more of the meaner, irresponsible Sandler we had in Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison? I miss that guy. We get a glimpse of it in this movie in scenes where he feuds with an annoying kid neighbor, but other than that he's missing in action. Sandler is one of our best comic actors and is always fun to watch on screen. I'm still waiting for the movie that can properly mesh the likable, self-deprecating, sensitive version of Sandler with the mean, funny one. It'll come. For now though, reach for your remote. Click is skippable.