Mr. Deeds (2002)

Directed by Steven Brill. Starring Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, John Turturro, Erick Avari, Allen Covert, Conchata Ferrell, Peter Dante, J. B. Smoove, Brandon Molale, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell. [PG-13]

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town gets the Happy Madison treatment, and it’s even lazier and cruder than I expected. Adam Sandler fills Gary Cooper’s country bumpkin shoes as a small-town simpleton with a big heart who’s rich great uncle he never knew passed away and left him a $40 billion inheritance, so he travels to the big city to be exploited by a scheming executive (Gallagher) and tricked by a tabloid reporter (Ryder). We’ve seen all these broad character types and wheezy gags a hundred times before, and the only “novelty value” here is a raft of cameos from Sandler’s cronies (Rob Schneider? Check!) and celebrity pals (John McEnroe? Check!). Nobody does Capra-corn like Capra, which may explain why no one bothers to try when it comes time for the climactic speeches/revelations during a shareholders’ meeting. If you’re only in it for frostbite and spastic colon jokes and seeing Peter Gallagher get hit in the neck with a tennis ball, however…

22/100