Just how do you review an Adam Sandler movie? He never presents an Oscar-worthy performance, although he has brought me to tears many times (from laughing folks, not crying -- give me a little credit).
He always entertains and pushes the envelope in juvenile comedy. With his latest venture, Little Nicky, Sandler takes on the larger-than-life character of Nicky, Satan's son.
We join in on the fun as the current Satan has held his post for 10,000 years. He tells his three sons he doesn't feel any of them are ready to take his place and he will reign for another 1,000 years.
This makes Nicky's brothers, looking forward to their turn to rule, very angry. They storm out of hell and up to earth trying to set up their very own hell there.
Nicky must follow them to earth to save his father who is literally falling apart because the boys froze over the gates of hell when they left (it sounds even more hokey every time I think about it). Nicky learns his way around New York with the help of a little bulldog named Beefy who adds many isle-rolling scenes that have unfortunately been ruined in the trailers.
Nicky's brothers, played by Tom "Tiny" Lister, (Friday) and Rays Ifans (The hilarious sweet-mate in Notting Hill) are on a destructive track through the Big Apple. Nicky has less than a week to learn how to use the evil powers he has kept deep inside for many years and stop them before they disturb the balance of good and evil. This is easier said than done for the "nicer than an angel" Nicky.
The expensive special effects are the first noticeable change to Sandler's new flick. The low-budgeted Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore movies are nothing in comparison to this eye candy. Now granted, many of the cheesy effects are not realistic, but hey, keep in mind that this is still just an Adam Sandler movie.
The next noticeable upgrade Sandler has made this time around is the strong supporting cast in which he surrounds himself. Drew Barrymore was a great partner in The Wedding Singer for Sandler. In Nicky, he gets help from Reese Witherspoon in the role of Little Nicky's mom. Yes, I said his mom. The age difference between them is a little off isn't it? Keep in mind though that angels do not age.
Sandler also gets help from Harvey Keitel as Satan, Jon Lovitz as a peeping tom, Quentin Tarantino as a blind, holy, deacon and Dana Carvey as a possessed basketball referee. Nicky's love interest is played by Patricia Arquette (Stigmata). Another nice surprise is Rodney Dangerfield who plays Lucifer, Nicky's grandfather.
I must say this plot is thinner than anything you could imagine. While I ponder this thought, I am reminded one more time -- this is an Adam Sandler comedy and no one is paying $7 for the plot. If I had expected the movie to have a brilliant script and superb acting, I would have graded much lower.
Some of the comedic highlights include Nicky's love for Popeye's Chicken. At one point, he turns a demon into a chicken-loving troll who proclaims, "Popeye's Chicken is the shiznit!" in a great exchange with Dana Carvey.
To change the pace a little bit, a couple of Satan-worshipping drug heads enter onto the scene with their obnoxious rock and roll jokes including a Satanic message on an old Chicago album-not to mention a special guest appearance by Ozzy Osborne.
Surrounding himself with a great supporting cast and welcome special effects, Sandler pushes his movie into one of his hits. However, with a few less laughs than we are used to from the man who brought us classics like The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy, coupled with some lack luster reviews mixed with some only semi-interesting previews, this might be the movie that breaks Sandler's $100 million movie streak. For the die-hard Sandler fans though, Little Nicky is a must see.
Grade: B-
(PG-13, 93 minutes)
