Never have so many actors disappointed me so deeply, for so long. The acting, the plot, the script, the direction and the stunts were all of abysmal quality. The plot-summary (although that's an insult to decent hard-working plots the world over) is as follows: Sandler, wearing his trade-mark dead-pan (i.e. not acting) expression plays a pizza-man whose uncle (whom he's never met) leaves him heir to his multi-billion dollar entertainment company. Sandler goes to New York obstensibly to sign and bring his money back and leaving the company to be run by those who know. Ryder, a tabloid hack after the story and who does no more acting than the occaisional pout, furrowed brow and thrust breast, pretends to be a small-town girl from Iowa appealing to his small-town instincts and following a quite ridiculous John Macenroe cameo she falls in love with him; and he with her. But it all falls through when he finds out who she really is. I won't bore you with the rest but you can probably figure it out yourself without too much trouble, in fact you'd probably do a far better job than Sandler and company. The dialogue is unbearably weak, the jokes are as funny as a poke in the eye (in fact, please poke me in both, I might laugh then) and there are more cheesy stereotypes than a Van Damme film only without the choreographed fights.. oh! except for the one in the cinema as people scrambled for the exits. The only lighthearted moment (which ironically is quite inadvertant) is when Ryder, at the moment at the mercy of US justice for attempting to help Sachs clear some stock, is asked by her boss what she spends her money and she answers "On shoes and stuff.." and you could feel the whole cinema shouting "YES! BUT WHAT DO YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON!!" It is extraordinary that with children dying of hunger and me needing a new motorbike, money, and considerable amounts of the stuff, should be spent on this kind of tosh. If you want to see a butler ghosting around the place properly, if you want to see how overnight wealth can be made hilarious, if you want sparkling dialogue and witty situational comedy don't go and see this film. Go and see Murphy, Ackroyd and Elliot and Co. in "Trading Places". That's how it's done, Mr. Sandler.
Review of Mr. Deeds
