MOVIE REVIEW: Mr. Deeds (2002)

Every so often, there's an Adam Sandler movie that tends to fly under the radar for me. Mr. Deeds is one of them; a Sandler-ized remake of an old comedy from the 1940s of the same story. Needless to say, I'm sorry I missed it when it came out. Add to the fact it has a great soundtrack, even unexpectedly so, one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs "Where Are You Going" is featured rather prominently in the film. It's a nice unexpected touch, and for a Sandler comedy, I'd say Deeds is rather underrated.

An 82 year old billionaire kicks the bucket, and his investors scramble to find an heir to his $40 billion fortune. All they can find is a distant beneficiary; a pizza delivery boy from New Hampshire named Longfellow Deeds. Untainted by greed, Deeds enters his benefactor's home in New York City with naivetee and generousity, whilst being dogged by a sexy reporter who he ultimately falls in love with, played by Winona Ryder.

The cliches of Sandler comedies run abound in this one, with greedy villains, goofy stock characters, and that moment of broken trust which forces a temporary break-up with the love interest. Additionaly, Sandler's character has a special talent that figures in the end as his saving grace to a better life. These elements are of no surprise to me now, and make the story a bit predictable, but hey, it's still funny! And for once, Sandler isn't playing a complete jerk who serendipitously turns his life around, his character of Deeds is genuinely likeable and good-hearted. I wouldn't be surprised if this signaled a turnaround in his career when he started playing less clowns and more "characters". I can definitely say I'm glad I watched it, it was a nice refresher from the glut of dramas I'd been watching lately.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon