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Overview
After delivering an instant Sandler classic with Mr. Deeds,
Adam Sandler quickly hits us up again shortly after Mr. Deeds
finds the video shelves with Eight
Crazy Nights. The main character is Davey Stone, who is the
local drunk and troublemaker, and is played by none other than
Sandler himself. Davey goes through a series of lessons before
he comes to the realization that the meaning and true spirit
of Hanukah lies in everyone and that he doesn’t have to hit
the bottle to enjoy himself during the holidays. These lessons
are learned painstakingly, similar to Sandler’s other films
that have a lesson to be learned, but are shrouded in tongue
in cheek humor and slapstick. If you’re an Adam Sandler fan,
you won’t stop laughing from start to finish; however, if
you’re not a big fan of Sandler, you will want to steer clear
of this one.
Review
A few people asked me how I would be able to review this film,
because there are no “real actors”, just portrayals of people.
I’ll agree that it was different than the other films I have
reviewed, but it isn’t that different when you think about it.
I’m judging the voice-acting performance of the actors, but
more importantly, I’m focusing more on the plotline and the
progression of the film.
Many times, people have troubled pasts that they wish to
forget and get away from. Davey Stone (voiced by Adam Sandler)
is someone that needs to get away from the ignorant,
demeaning, drunk that he has become over the previous 20
years, and become more like the J.C.C. Junior League
basketball all-star he once was. Davey hits rock bottom when
he is got “chewing and screwing” (eating without paying) at
his favorite Chinese restaurant. The judge is about to decide
that enough is enough, and that it’s time Davey pays for his
sins, feeling that sending him to the State penitentiary is
the only way to reform Mr. Stone. Fate steps in the way in
form of a cute little Junior Basketball League referee by the
name of Whitey (voiced by Adam Sandler as well) who is covered
in loads of white “fur” and feels that he can help Davey get
through his rough times. The judge is compelled to let this
little man try and help Davey, and holds off on sending Davey
to prison.
Davey doesn’t realize fully what kind of a gift that Whitey
has been able to give him: the gift of a second chance. Davey
continues to act without care for anyone but himself until his
trailer catches fire and is forced to move in with Whitey, who
graciously takes him in, and Whitey’s twin sister, Eleanore
(voiced by, yup, you guessed it, Adam Sandler). Davey’s life
takes a turn for the better when his trailer goes up in
flames, because in a way it’s like he can put the past behind
him and move on to a brighter future, a future that Whitey can
seem to only see.
As the famous 80’s rock group, Poison would say, “every rose
has it’s thorn”; however, in Davey’s case, he is all thorns.
It turns out that Davey has feelings, and falls again for his
childhood sweetheart, Jen (voiced by Jackie Titone), who
happens to be a single mother, even though Jen thinks he is a
callous, ignorant, imbecile. Davey has the chance to win her
over, because her cute son Benjamin is a big fan of
basketball, and being the former all-star, Davey comes off as
the man, taking Benjamin under his wing and teaching him the
ropes. Davey might not be the best role model for Benjamin,
given some of the lessons Davey teaches, but soon enough, he
rubs off on Ben in the right ways. This connection between
Davey and Benjamin is apparent, and is one that Jen is very
happy with.
Acting
Incredibly, Adam Sandler took on all 3 major roles in this
film and pulled it off brilliantly. In an interview with
Sandler, he mentioned that it took a bit to get used to being
in the mindset of each character as he did the voices for each
them, especially the voice of Eleanore.
One might put this into a musical/cartoon category, but I tend
to put it into comedy, because it’s not all singing, and
doesn’t just focus on singing. The characters all have their
turn at singing, the funniest being when all three join in
together as Whitey and Eleanore lay down the ground rules for
living in their house to Davey, which was also written by Mr.
Sandler himself.
Davey looks almost exactly like Adam Sandler does in real
life, and in many ways, acts just like him with his biting
sarcasm and quick wit. If you take a close look at all of
Sandler’s movies, you’ll find a character similar to Davey in
every single one of his films, usually a character that is
played by Sandler himself.
Whitey was my favorite character at all, because he is the
funniest of them all, in my humble opinion. He cares greatly
for others around him, and shows this by taking Davey under
his wing in his time of need and by providing for his sister
at every turn. He’s one of those characters that you want to
pick up and give him a big hug.
Eleanore is the most interesting of all of the characters, and
it starts with her appearance, which jumps out at you from the
beginning. Her giant teeth and wide selection of wigs are just
two of the funny features that make this character so
intriguing. Her accent is also something that adds to her
appeal, which is the cross between a Brooklyn and a distant
European country.
Directing
Eight Crazy Nights is an interesting holiday flick, in that
it’s a cartoon for older audiences, as well as the well placed
fart jokes and biting sarcasm. The main plot of the film is a
man has gone bad (repeat of A Christmas Carol?) and needs to
be shown how to go good again. I can imagine how difficult
directing might be when it comes to cartoons, because as far
as I can tell, all the directors would be doing as far as
directing is telling the people “that sounded good” or “that
sounded rough, try it again”, since there are no real live
actors. The musical numbers during the movie make it worth a
matinee, since I think I would be a bit disappointed if I
spent $8.50 to see it on a Friday night. The characters
throughout the movie are extremely interesting to watch as far
as their mannerisms, their attitude, or even their appearance
go. BEWARE GUYS: There is a lot of “thanks for helping me see
the light *smile*” gooshy stuff that women love. Yup, you
heard it here first: Eight Crazy Nights is sometimes 100% a
guy movie with all the fart jokes and launching snot, and on
the other hand, it is 100% a chick flick because of the
sentiment and hidden message behind it all, which most guys
wouldn’t pick up on since we don’t know unless you tell us.
Either way, I thought it was worth the price of a matinee, and
will most likely rent it on DVD first to check out the
features and see if it’s worth buying.
Final Thoughts
Adam Sandler always has a way of stringing together small
skits into one movie, and surprisingly, makes it work every
time. If you are a big Adam Sandler fan, you’ll have more than
your fair share of laughs during this movie. If you’re not a
big Adam Sandler fan and dislike his sometimes dry humor and
far jokes, you won’t want to step near this movie, because
that is all it is. That’s all Adam’s films are usually
anyways. He has an interesting way of putting together
elementary jokes, a decent plotline, and wrapping it up with
some sarcasm, wittiness, and fart jokes, while at the same
time, making it all work. It worked for me. I think it was
good, because I expected it to be an “Adam Sandler flick”, so
a strong 3.5 planet rating will be my mark. If you are
expecting something else, you might give it closer to a
one.
HYNDSY
Rating:
3.5 out of 5 Planets
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