An Adam Sandler movie I could watch

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2005)

I really can't stand Adam Sandler. I don't quite know what it is, but every time someone pops one of his movies in the DVD player, I feel the overwhelming urge to leave the room. Go watch something else. Change the oil in my car. Do dishes. Anything but sit there and watch it.
I could actually sit through this one, which is saying something.
He spent more of his time playing a dramatic character than a comic one, and this movie demonstrates that he has the chops for it. I was very surprised.
The "recruiting" scene where he's playing one-on-one basketball stands out, in particular. I mean, you KNOW he's hurting; you feel sympathetic pain for what he's going through. You're wondering just what the hell he's proving. Then, at the end of the scene, you understand. Here's a character which has some depth, which actually thinks longer-term than most Adam Sandler characters.
I like that.
During the final showdown, you hate his guts, then you feel for him, then you cheer for him. I realize it's the formulaic good-vs-evil showdown, but I don't care. I care what happens to the character.
That's the difference between a good movie and a weak one; you give a damn what happens to the characters.
Chris Rock is his usual funny self. Burt Reynolds play an understated, but solid role. You can say that when it's hard to pick out any one scene where they really stood out, but at the same time, you can't quite figure out how the movie could've done without them. He just lent a little more depth and foundation to so many scenes.
I never would have gone to see this in the theater, simply because it had Adam Sandler in the lead role. After seeing this one, though, that could change.