I started watching Adam Sandler movies pretty late in the game. I didn't see "Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," or "Bulletproof," and I still haven't. I may eventually. The first Adam Sandler movie I saw was "The Wedding Singer," and I liked it. I also saw his movie that followed, "The Waterboy," and I liked that one, too. By the time "Big Daddy" came out, "The Wedding Singer" and "The Waterboy" established Adam Sandler as a major Hollywood celebrity. "Big Daddy" was pretty good, and it made lotsa money, but I wouldn't say that I'm a big Adam Sandler fan. I like some of the comedy bits that can be found on his CDs, and he was really funny on SNL, but the truth is, he's a horrible actor. Also, it bothers me when he creates these characters with annoying voices and contorted faces. Why can't he play it like a normal guy? Still, though I don't like him that much as an actor, I like him a lot as a writer. His movies, most of which were written by him and Tim Herlihy, are very quirky, unusual movies that are very funny. Sure, they're pretty damn stupid, but I laugh a lot. As for "Little Nicky," same thing. Adam Sandler plays a character with a very annoying voice and a twisted face, but I laughed a lot. It was a very funny script, even if it got ridiculously stupid at times.
The strength
of "Little Nicky" is with the supporting characters. They're
all great, every single one of them. The biggest problem is probably Adam
Sandler himself. I have a feeling that if he played a regular guy who
was kinda goofy, the movie woulda been even better, but with his irritating
voice and that stupid look on his face, I just got annoyed with him.
Harvey Keitel plays "Satan," and does a good job of making the
Devil seem like a swell guy. Patricia Arquette is good, too, though I wonder
if she was oblivious to how bad "Nicky" looked. What did she see
in him? Rhys Ifans ("Spike," Hugh Grant's slob roommate in "Notting
Hill") was excellent, Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr. ("Deebo" in "Friday") plays
the kinda guy he ALWAYS plays, so he was well-cast, Kevin Nealon (another
SNL guy) is funny as the gatekeeper of Hell, Allen Covert (in "The
Wedding Singer," he was Adam Sandler's limo driver friend... "they
were cooooones") was funny, and there are a whole lotta really funny
cameos, including one that's absolutely brilliant. The only supporting role
I didn't like was the one played by Quentin Tarantino. The guy is an awesome
writer and director, but his acting may be worse than Adam Sandler's.
"Little
Nicky," as I wrote earlier, was written by Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy,
though the director also had his hand in the writing. The director is Steven
Brill, the guy who wrote those "Mighty Ducks" movies, and he directed a
movie called "Heavyweights" (I haven't seen any of those). I liked Brill's
directing work. It was appropriate for the material, ya know?
It remains to be seen if Adam Sandler's streak of hits will last. I'm not
sure how well "Little Nicky" will do, especially when you consider
that many may be offended by the subject matter. I'll probably continue
to see his movies, but I'd much prefer it if he played it without the voice/face
thing.