By: debbie lynn elias
This 2002 version of the 1936 Frank Capra classic “Mr. Deeds Goes To Town” should come with a warning label: Gary Cooper was a perfect Mr. Deeds, but Adam Sandler is NO Gary Cooper. Likewise, director Frank Capra gave us one of film’s most enduring masterpieces with his artful classic, but Steven Brill is NO Frank Capra. In short, caveat emptor – or in this case, let the movie goer holder beware.
Not a big Adam Sandler fan save for his performance in “The Wedding Singer” (a guilty romantic pleasure to be sure), “Mr. Deeds” does nothing to change my opinion. Insincere, uneven, dim-witted, hapless and dumbed-down, thanks in large part to veteran Sandler writer, Tim Herlihy, “Mr. Deeds obviously was made for two reasons – one, to give Adam Sandler and his friends something to do and two, to give us all a reason (as if we needed any other than Smith and Jones) to spend $10.00 on a ticket for “Men In Black II.”
Here, Sandler takes over the title role from Gary Cooper starring as Mandrake Falls, N.H. pizzeria owner and unsuccessful greeting card writer, Longfellow Deeds. As comes as no surprise, no one in town does anything except sit around all day in the pizzeria talking about whatever small town folk talk about. As luck and movie-making would have it, Deeds is the distant, distant, distant relative of a millionaire Preston Blake who freezes to death while trying to conquer Mount Everest, leaving his entire $40 billion estate to Deeds. Displeased with the good fortune of the dim-witted but good hearted Deeds, corporate raider Chuck Cedar conspires to oust Deeds and take control of the estate. Adding insult to injury, on Deeds move to the Big Apple, he becomes the target of a trashy tabloidesque television show which places its producer Babe Bennett undercover as a love interest for our hero in order to get inside and get the real “dirt” on Deeds. Needless to say, he loves her, she tells him she loves him but really doesn’t, he finds out she’s scamming, she realizes too late she really does love him, etc., etc., while on the corporate front, Deeds (of course) is not the village idiot Cedar thought him to be. You get the picture.
As film buffs know, in the original 1936 version, Deeds became the subject of a sanity trial when he decides to give away his inheritance to those in need during the Great Depression. Here, however, there is no great nobility or sacrifice offered by Deeds – merely a desire to retain control of his uncle’s holdings in order to keep some 50,000 people (including the New York Jets) employed. Instead of a trial, we have a stockholders’ meeting which comes off more like Mickey and Judy doing their, “Gee kids, let’s put on a show” routine.
In one of her worst screen performances, Winona Ryder is lifeless and lost as tabloid producer Bennett – a far cry from that tough cookie performance by Jean Arthur in Capra’s version – and there is no chemistry between her and Sandler.
Director Brill gives us an uneven, dare we say, haphazard film, with no continuity and completely devoid of the heart of the Capra classic. This is not to say that “Mr. Deeds” is all badly done, been there-done that, old hat stuff. An outstanding supporting cast is the only reason to not leave the theater after 20 minutes – and no performance is better than that of John Turturro as Deeds’ Spanish butler, Emilio. Turturro milks his limited screen time for all its worth and comes out a winner in hilarity with every word and gesture. Having previously tried romantic leading roles but each time lacking in believability (“While You Were Sleeping”, “To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday”), Peter Gallagher is in his element as the “dastardly”, although somewhat cartoonish, corporate raider Chuck Cedar while veteran Sandler co-star Steve Buscemi shines as Crazy Eyes. One of my longtime favorites, Conchata Ferrell, once again doesn’t disappoint in her role as Jan while veteran Harve Presnell is ideal as Preston Blake. And as to be expected, Erick Avari (“13th Warrior”, “The Mummy”, “Planet of the Apes”) is incomparable and believable as the white-beared corporately decent Cecil Anderson.
Sandler’s only saving grace with “Mr. Deeds” may be that the majority of his fans are too young to know of, or just don’t care about, Frank Capra or movie masterpieces…and that is their great loss, as this 2002 version is to those of us who cherish the heart and warmth and movie magic of days gone by.
