MR. DEEDS [2002] Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder ; Rated 12A

Whilst looking for a alternative to Harry Potter this Adam Sandler vehicle was the first flik to catch my attention. Having been shrouded by bad reviews I had originally decided to give it a miss, but as fate had it Harry Potter magically changed my mind at the last minute. Mr. Deeds is your typical Sandler comedy following in the footsteps of Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. Firstly let's get its bad points out of the way, the director must be some kind of monkey, because all he seems to be doing is leaving cinematic banana skins lying around for his movie to trip up on. Those stumbles though are purely based around everyday visuals, like seeing a T.V image or trying to recreate the quality and feel of a hidden camera. These little things unfortunately keep this film on a certain level, obviously the film is not meant to be too serious but attention to detail has and always will be appreciated by the audience. In this case that aspect of film making has been poorly neglected. However... the lead character is as likeable as ever and some of the supporting characters are also truly very funny. There are some very humorous moments in this film and with the usual cameos by Steve Buscemi and Rob Schneider the stupidity of the film only becomes more likeable. Mr. Deeds is a boat load of silliness, but it's very enjoyable and an excellent alternative to that boy from Hogwarts, as long as you're willing to let go of sensibility.

3/5