Damn, I really hated this movie.
I know my expectations were very high because I was so intrigued by the combination of wacky Adam Sandler (who I knew this role would be a huge departure for) and Paul Thomas Anderson, the uberkind behind Magnolia and Boogie Nights. Talk about an odd couple, but I knew it would be different, and it was.
Unfortunately it was too different. It was a little too weird and abstract and "artsy-fartsy", which I know sounds very rude, but it’s the best way I can think to describe it.
The positives in this film come from great performances from Anderson regulars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and in a smaller role, Luis Guzman, as well as Emily Watson who’s always great and coincidentally just costarred with Hoffman in RED DRAGON. But I expect good stuff from them all the time.
Adam Sandler though. Wow. What a great job!
Like a car wreck, you just can’t take your eyes off him. He does a really great job here.
But the weird thing, he’s not all that different from his standard characters here, with a glaring exception, which I of course won’t get into. Still I think he’ll get a lot of accolades for his performance which is kind of a rarity for him…
But the story…
Oy vey, this was ugly.
I mean, at it’s heart there’s something beautiful, but to get to that sweet core you need to dig deeper than I was willing.
But I’m a fan of Anderson’s and Sandler’s, so I hope others are much more open minded than I, and that they get some kudos for taking a chance…