Little Nicky (2000)

A movie about the independent minded son of Beelzebub and the mischief he creates.

Director:

Steven Brill

Writers:

Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler,

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Sandler	...	Nicky
Patricia Arquette	...	Valerie Veran
Harvey Keitel	...	Dad
Rhys Ifans	...	Adrian
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Cassius (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)
Rodney Dangerfield	...	Lucifer
Allen Covert	...	Todd
Peter Dante	...	Peter
Jonathan Loughran	...	John
Robert Smigel	...	Beefy (voice)
Reese Witherspoon	...	Holly
Dana Carvey	...	Referee
Jon Lovitz	...	Peeper
Kevin Nealon	...	Gatekeeper
Michael McKean	...	Chief of Police

Storyline

When somebody's mother is an angel and his father is the devil, life can be really confusing. For a sweet boy like Little Nicky, it just got a whole lot worse. His two evil brothers Adrian and Cassius have just escaped from Hell and are wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting earth. His dad is disintegrating and it's up to Nicky to save him and all of a humanity by midnight before one of his brothers becomes the new Satan.

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Plot Keywords:

hell | decomposition | flask | lucifer | devil | 

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Taglines:

Being Evil Ain't Easy

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, some drug content, language and thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Official French Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hijo del diablo

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£574,337 (UK) (17 November 2000)

Gross:

ESP 554,584,452 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avery Pix, Happy Madison Productions, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adrian's line "better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" is taken from John Milton's epic literary work "Paradise Lost" (1667).

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Goofs

After Nicky gets sprayed with mace on the fire escape outside Valerie's bedroom, he stumbles backward and begins to fall over the railing. In the next shot, however, his body is falling forward over the railing.

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Quotes

Nicky: That's not me! That's that cockroach Tony Montana!

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Connections

References The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975)

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Soundtracks

"Flying High Again"
Written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake
Performed by Ozzy Osbourne
Courtesy of Epic Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Not as funny on repeat viewings, but a good silly comedy

When I first watched this movie, I was cracking up! And it was one of those incidents in which I was in a crowded theater where I was pretty much the ONLY one laughing at most of the gags! It wasn't exactly embarrassing, but kind of weird. Then again, most of the people that came to see it were mothers and fathers with little children. Please ignore the PG-13 rating--this is NOT a movie for the young ones! I think anyone who has seen Sandler's previous films should know that by now. His sense of humor may be immature, but that doesn't mean it's appropriate for little eyes to see.

I watched this movie again, after I bought the DVD. First of all, I was impressed to discover the cool Easter eggs! It's actually the first DVD to be presented in InfiniFilm. But since it was used as an Easter egg, it wasn't credited as the first InfiniFilm feature. Well, as I learned a lot more about the behind-the-scenes work on this movie; mostly involving special effects, makeup, costume and set design; I gained a better respect for those who were responsible for making "Little Nicky." I thought of it as more than a shallow comedy. It's obvious that the producers of Sandler's previous films didn't have to bend over backwards to produce any flashy effects--in fact, most of them were made on a modest budget.

However, the laughs faded away a little. Since this is a silly, superficial comedy, don't expect to pick up on any subtle humor that you might've missed the first time around. I always found Sandler's schtick very silly and meaningless. But he's one of those guys who can make me laugh at things for no apparent reason. Almost as if I'm laughing AT him. I've seen "Billy Madison" countless times and I still roll with laughter every time. But with "Little Nicky" most of the jokes that I found silly-funny on my initial viewing were just silly on my second.

One thing to anticipate is a stellar cast. You'll be surprised at the kind of celebrities that pop up in the cameos. Some of the big-name stars include Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Quentin Tarantino, Reese Witherspoon and (my personal hero) Rodney Dangerfield! And that's just to name a few. It would also help if you've seen Sandler's past films, especially in one particular scene with one of our mystery cameos. You'll be treated to a great inside joke. And of course, expect to see many of Sandler's regulars including Allen Covert, Clint Howard, Peter Dante, Blake Clark and Jon Lovitz.

"Little Nicky" is not a thoughtful piece and will probably do nothing to contribute to mankind. But it's a very funny comedy that I simply advise you don't watch over and over again. You'll enjoy it a lot the first time! Of course, the DVD has some really cool features, so if anything pick that up.

My score: 7 (out of 10)