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Review Uploaded
07/12/02

Frank's film tip: The nouveau riche fish-out-of-water comedy "Mr. Deeds" is a wacky yet tiresome variation of the Frank Capra classic "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town". This is, sad to say, not sure money in the bank!

Fans of Adam Sandler will probably rejoice at the fact that the comic/actor is in typical "Happy Gilmore-esque" mode with his latest nouveau riche fish-out-of-water comedy "Mr. Deeds". It's not so much that Sandler dares to violate legendary moviemaker Frank Capra's classic film "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" with this dimwitted and anemic updated variation of his hyperactive version. If anything, it's Sandler's obstinate streak to continue force-feeding audiences with the same worn-out antics that has made this otherwise annoying fratboy movie persona work for him outside of his previous SNL days on the boob tube.

"Mr. Deeds", sad to say, doesn't instill any refreshing zaniness despite Sandler's abilities to tap into his incorrigible schtick. This doesn't just merely energize the film as Sandler erroneously believes; it simply confirms that Sandler is waving his arms in a dense fog trying to reach for something that isn't quite there--an original and genuine approach to his simple-minded, standard dysfunctional fare. Artificially crass and predictible, "Mr. Deeds" is a formulaic farce that will eventually produce a lingering indifference, even in die hard Adam Sandler enthusiasts.

Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) is a New Hampshire-based pizza delivery boy who shockingly inherits $40 billion from a late uncle's media-business conglomeration. Of course one can see the obvious premise coming from miles away. Let's see now...Deeds is the lovable knuckle-head who's uncouth, volatile, slobbish, silly-minded, gimpy, hilarious, scheming...but yet we're to believe he's the victimized good guy that will put the straps to the real ruthless rogues whom money and power has already corrupted. The film shamlessly sets up the scenario as a clumsy social satire with shark-like boardroom bores trying to take advantage of a good-natured banal bore (folks, that would be our hero Deeds) only to find out that the comeuppance from an unlikely cad like Deeds is not worth underestimating. Hence, the cute message inside this boisterous and disjointed comedy-of-errors is that sometimes it can only take a sample of sap to ruin the mighty row of seemingly tall, rigid trees.

"Mr. Deeds" is a smirky and aimlessly loud comedy that shows its true lackluster nature. The movie is not savvy enough to work as an innocuous and nutty commentary on the social classes of society. Also, the film isn't smart enough to be vicious and take a delicious stab at the so-called winsome and pious flicks of yesteryear--starting with the vehicle they're trying to contend with in that of Capra's whimsical "Deeds". Director Steven Brill helms this story with fragile uncertainly while not knowing when to inject some much-needed sassiness in a brainless and staid vehicle such as this. The best he can muster, it seems, is when his leading man Sandler goes off track with his berserk penchant for empty-headed physical slaptick (punching poor nitwits at will, sliding down winding stairwell banisters with devilish joy, using a tennis court as his own aggressive battleground for raucous and perverse satisfaction, etc.). Brill never really shapes this comedy as the effective and riotous juvenile guilty pleasure it could have been. Instead, the film moves about as flowingly as chunky oatmeal in a blender.

Whether contemplating the uneven chemistry between Sandler's Deeds and leading lady Winona Ryder's doe-ish tabloid TV reporter Babe or digesting the hogwash ritual of the upper crest being exposed by a destructive-minded dandy dunderhead, "Mr. Deeds" will no doubt register as one of the weakest efforts by the Adam Sandler movie-producing machine. You'll probably get a chuckle or two when watching "Deeds" then be reminded by your own manufactured Sandler film festival (hmmm...didn't he do this stuff in "Big Daddy" or was it in "The Wedding Singer"?).

The only saving grace about "Mr. Deeds" is its functioning as a wise and timely cliche': money can't buy everything--especially for a clunky comedy with no spirit or no spark. Now you can take THAT to the bank, Mr. Deeds!

Frank rates this film: stars