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Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights
2002 - PG-13 - 76 Mins.
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| Director: Seth Kearsley | | Producer: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Allen Covert | | Written By: Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Adam Sandler | | Starring: Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider |
| Review by: John Ulmer |
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Hey, the script finally arrived!
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"Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights" could have been a really sweet Christmas story with a heartwarming message at its core. Instead, it's a vile, heartless animated feature that swerves back and forth between naughty and nice, not sure what to become. Take, for instance, the scene towards the end, when the mayor of Dukesbury (voiced by Kevin Nealon) cracks a very unfunny joke in the town hall, and the citizens of Dukesbury start to snort snot all over their tables, and some deer outside get in such a violent fit of laughter that feces squirts from behind their tails with little *splurt* sounds.
Does that sound like a good-natured family comedy to you? That's because it isn't. The film stars, in one way or another, Adam Sandler, who has finally found a suitable medium to let loose all his crudeness without (a) getting the film banned from every country in the world, and (b) injuring himself in the process. Because there's something innocent about cartoons. In "Eight Crazy Nights," his self-crafted character, Davey Stone, is on the run from the town police after ripping off a Chinese man (voiced by Rob Schneider). He picks up the lid of a trashcan and slides down a railing like Vin Diesel did in "xXx." It's funny to see a limitless and physically fit Sandler, yes, but right as the scene starts to become fun, we get a worn out gag involving squeezed melons that has been done countless times before, including last year's "Austin Powers in Goldmember."
Davey resents the holidays, and he especially resents the "eight crazy nights" of Hanukkah, because when he was 12 years old his parents died on their way to his basketball game. Ever since, Davey has been the town troublemaker, getting stoned (hence his last name?) and making out with cars. (Don't ask.)
Davey gets picked up by the cops and is sentenced to ten years in jail, when the town eccentric, Whitey (also voiced by Sandler), offers the judge to make Davey a basketball referee in hopes of changing his ill spirits. The judge agrees, but as soon as Davey leaves court he throws Whitey into a porta-potty and knocks it down a hill. Whitey emerges with human feces all over his body, and Davey then sprays him with water, saying, "See ya' later, poopsicle."
That's why the film careens from gross-out gags to heartwarming moments and then back to juvenile bodily function jokes. You've probably heard a lot of people complain about bodily function humor and how bad it is, but this will disgust the most crude and vile audience members. I did for me. (Hey, I'm joking! About being crude. Er...never mind.)
A lot of people hate Adam Sandler and his humor, but I think they're just all jumping on the bandwagon. Ironically, his "breakthrough role" in P.T. Anderon's 2002 art film "Punch-Drunk Love" has been praised as his crowning triumph. I, personally, still enjoy "Happy Gilmore" and "Big Daddy." His comedies are very basic but also, on occasion, very funny. I also like "Saturday Night Live"-type humor a lot, so that may have something to do with it.
Is "Eight Crazy Nights" a bad movie? I guess. It's hard to place a finger on. It's mean-spirited and vile, and that's where the film fails, but when the film has its touching moments they are touching. Too bad it always has to ruin the mentioned scenes by ending them with lame poop and/or seizure jokes. Again, don't ask.
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