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December 6, 2002
Film gets passing grade
Eight Crazy Nights offers a mixed bag for viewers.
BAILA LAZARUS EDITOR
OK, maybe I'm a sucker for a sentimental story with a happy ending.
Or maybe I haven't seen enough Adam Sandler movies to be really
bothered by him. Whatever the case, overall, I actually liked Eight
Crazy Nights, Sandler's latest fare, this time in animated form.
I say overall because there were definitely aspects of this film
that I could have done without.
In the movie, Sandler is the bitter Davey Stone, a once well-liked
high school basketball hero who has slid into a life of drinking
and petty crime. His misadventures get particularly intense around
the time of Chanukah, which reminds him of an especially painful
time in his life.
After a particularly destructive and profanity-filled spree, he
finds himself facing a 10-year jail term. To his rescue comes basketball
coach Whitey, a 70-year-old with misshapen feet and an annoying
voice who has become somewhat of a town fool. Whitey intercedes
on behalf of Stone, whom he used to coach, saying he will take responsibility
for Stone's activities.
Stone becomes Whitey's sidekick, but learns none of the lessons
being offered by Whitey, either in basketball or in life. Eventually
Whitey grows on Stone, however, and the two of them start to form
a bond. But a casual discussion of Stone's past turns brings up
some demons that the troublemaker would rather not face and Stone
turns on Whitey as a bitter enemy. It's not until Stone is forced
to deal with his most painful memories that he is able to shed the
dark cloud that has been haunting him and repay a debt to Whitey.
So the story has a fuzzy moral and may even bring a tear to an eye
or two, but it does suffer from a bad case of Sandlerism –
gratuitous use of bathroom humor that does nothing to add to the
film. The odd joke here and there gets a good laugh, but there were
more groans to be heard than chuckles by the time the film was over.
What saves the film are the characters – not because they are
particularly deep or complex, but rather because they're such oddballs,
they have a kind of endearing quality to them. Unfortunately, though
animated, this is not a film for children, due to its coarse language.
It's the adults who are both South Park and Sandler fans
who will enjoy it the most.
Sandler himself does the voices for Whitey, as well as Whitey's
constantly complaining fraternal twin, Eleanore, both of whom could
vie for the most irritating-sounding voices on screen. Other cast
members include Saturday Night Live regulars Kevin Nealon
and Rob Schneider, as well as Small Town Crook's Jon Lovitz.
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