REVIEW (WEB EXCLUSIVE)



Defenders of Adam Sandler's appeal found a worthy ally earlier this year in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, who coaxed a fine performance from Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love, capitalizing on the actor's better qualities (his boyish charm, almost-virginal insecurity, and inexplicable, believable rage), toning down his more infantile antics, and steering clear of gas-related humor and poop jokes.

That said, it's a knee-deep return to the actor's lesser qualities in his first animated feature, Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, which may also be the first holiday movie in which a character swallows a jock strap. There's very little to like in this gross, often mean-spirited musical comedy, which follows the story of Davey Stone (voiced by Sandler), an often-drunk, 30-something Scrooge with a chip on his shoulder and a mean streak a mile long, and his half-assed redemption at the hands of aging basketball referee Whitey and his sister, Eleanor (both voiced by Sandler). Oh, yeah, Davey's Jewish, but that's oddly unimportant; insert "Hanukah" a few times instead of "Christmas" and that pretty much covers the film's relevance to the holidays.

The musical numbers are forgettable, but the humor reaches new levels of bad taste. Each time you think, "Oh, God, they wouldn't," the filmmakers do, with another crass, groan-inducing gag, particularly at the expense of Whitey and Eleanor, 70-something twins who are short, club-footed, hairy-assed and seizure-prone (him) or bald and gassy (her). With its boozy, foul-mouthed protagonist, the movie is far too adult for kids. And with jokes about cripples and epileptics, it's far too crude for discerning adults, even those who, on occasion, find something to like about an Adam Sandler movie.

--Kelly Borgeson