An Adam Sandler movie that will make you think

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2006)

A typical Adam Sandler movie will make you laugh but it does not really have much of a purpose past an escape out of reality into Adam's land of goofy escapades. This movie has that component too but it also has a message. The message is best left unsaid so that you can go see the movie. Adam plays his role well and does show some depth that he also showed in Spanglish. His control and lack of over the top persona throughout the film may turn off some of his core audience, but it might reflect the fact that Adam has grown up a bit. His personal life has probably influenced his choice in movies and he directly credits his parents at the end of the credits. I would advise waiting to see these few lines, but then again I always like to stay until the end of the credits.
The film is well paced and has a good script that has all the supporting actors doing there parts very well. Christopher Walken is again playing a character that is a bit off and he does the role with his usual flair. Kate Beckinsale plays Adam's wife and does a good job with the little screen time and the character she is given to play. Henry Winkler is great as Adam's father and it was quite nice to see Julie Kavner playing Adam's mother. I would guess she was happy to do a live action role and to play a mother of someone other than Bart, Lisa and Maggie. David Hasslehoff is great at playing a character that is a comic foil for Adam at work although I am not sure that all his fans of Baywatch and his singing in Europe will like this character. Even Sean Astin gets to play a nice little role. The music and special effects compliment the film without having the film be dependent on them.
Others will compare it to previous works and it does use a central character who is allowed to use introspection, but it is presented in a new way that made it fresh and entertaining. All in all a very good film and one that I would say is a good choice to see with your family members of age 10 and older.