Mr. Deeds Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)June 26th, 2002
MR. DEEDS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Let me break the bad news to you. Director Steven Brill (LITTLE NICKY) has remade the classic Frank Capra film, MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, with Adam Sandler replacing Gary Cooper. Although I know it's hard to believe, I am not making this up.
The plot has small town pizzeria owner Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler) inheriting forty billion dollars. Deeds is a likable and popular guy around town. His sole ambition is to get one of his greeting cards produced by Hallmark. "I promise to love you for fifty years more, even when your bosoms sag down on the floor," is typical of his ditties. When told by the nefarious Chuck Cedar (Peter Gallagher), an officer of Deeds' new company, that he is now a billionaire media tycoon, Deeds couldn't care less.
Like most Sandler pictures, MR. DEEDS's charm lies mainly in the supporting players, and, as Sandler gets more successful, he is able to attract an increasingly large and talented cast. This time the best is a cute-as-a-button Winona Ryder, who plays Pam Dawson, a New York school nurse from the tiny town of Winchestertonfieldville, Iowa. Don't bother looking that mouthful up in your family atlas since "Pam" is just the alias of a reporter out to get the dirt on Deeds. The reporter quickly morphs permanently into the innocent Pam and falls head-over-heels in love with Deeds.
John Turturro is on board as Emilio, Deeds's new personal servant whom he doesn't want. A sneaky guy who pops up everywhere, Emilio is a card-carrying foot fetish. Turturro hams it up just enough without ever appearing
ridiculous.
The cameos are fun with the best of these being John McEnroe's. Deeds is constantly brawling with bad guys, and John loves people who pick fights. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see Robin Williams and others dropping by the set.
A surprisingly sweet picture, it isn't quite funny enough to be able to recommend it, but it isn't a bad film. "Deeds? I thought we were watching Scooby-Doo," Crazy Eyes (Steve Buscemi) says to a friend. If you have to choose between the two. It's an easy choice. Go for MR. DEEDS.
MR. DEEDS runs 1:31. It is rated PG-13 for "language including sexual references, and some rear nudity" and would be acceptable for kids around 7 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it ***, saying that he liked its "random funniness." His friend Steven, age 14, gave it *** 1/2, commenting on how good an actor Sandler is. His twin John also gave it *** 1/2, saying that he thought that it was really funny.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, June 28, 2002. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.
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