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Following the flop of
Little Nicky, Adam Sandler returned to safe territory in
Mr. Deeds... and made
Nicky look inspired by comparison. A loose remake of Frank Capra's 1936 classic
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, this dumbed-down version finds Sandler in the Gary Cooper role, inheriting a vast fortune and a corporate empire, foiling a greedy executive (Peter Gallagher), and winning the heart of an undercover reporter (Winona Ryder) who's been mocking his small-town naiveté in print while falling for his goodhearted sincerity. It's fun enough to satisfy Sandler's loyal fans--and John Turturro's a hoot as Deeds's foot-fetishist butler--but the subtleties of Capra are lost on Sandler, director Steven Brill, and writer Tim Herlihy. While Gary Cooper portrayed a rube who was savvy about big-city cynicism, Sandler's an amiable goofball with a heart of gold and an empty skull. You can admire him, and parts of the movie (including Steve Buscemi's unbilled cameo), but you have to work harder to get there.
--Jeff Shannon
Product Description
ADAM SANDLER PLAYS LONGFELLOW DEEDS, A GREAT-NEPHEW TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S RICHEST MEN WHO HAPPENS TO DIE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. DEEDS INHERITS 40 BILLION DOLLARS, BUT SINCE HE'S FROM A SMALL UNKNOWN TOWN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, HE DOES NOT SEE THE NEED TO HAVE SO MUCH MONEY.
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