intense and hits the mark

Rating: 9/10 (26 June 2006)

spoiler alert. I saw the movie last night at the drive in theatre and was surprised at the range of emotions it stirred up in me, from apathy, to outright guffaws, to tears, I mean, big gooey sobbing tears, especially towards the end when it packs that emotional wallop you really don't expect. Henry Winkler was adorable and so lovable as Adam Sandlers silly dad with the quarter trick, and Adam Sandler was very moving lying flat on his back on the wet pavement as he talked to his family and dispensed his worldly wisdom in the pouring down rain. Christopher Walken, from Blast from the Past, seemed to be an evil mad scientist who invented and gave away the cool remote, but he turned out to be the angel of death... The trailer has a lot of the corny stuff, and there is tons of that cornball humor, but the essential message of the movie is underneath it all, somewhere, and I suggest you bring Kleenex if planning on watching it, and maybe a nice shoulder to cry on, or a hunky guy to hug and squeeze during the most emotional parts. There I was, all alone in my car, my kids in their lawn chairs outside in the rainy drive in, with their umbrellas watching this movie on a huge screen, and I laughed and sobbed and sobbed, and laughed... Some of the best emotional release I've had in a long time.