Little Nicky
Tags: good versus evil, absurd, cult, comedy

Plot synopsis:
The story revolves around a struggle to determine which of Satan's three sons will succeed their father (Harvey Keitel) as ruler of Hell. Adrian (Rhys Ifans) is the most devious, Cassius (Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr.) is the cruelest, and Nicky (Adam Sandler) is their father's favorite. Adrian and Cassius claim that Nicky's mother is a goat and torment him by controlling his body with their minds. Nicky has had a speech impediment and a disfigured jaw since Cassius hit him in the face with a shovel.
Having been the Prince of Darkness for ten thousand years, the Devil assembles his sons to decide which of them will succeed him, but instead he keeps the throne for himself. Angered by this decision, Adrian and Cassius go to Earth to create a new Hell by possessing religious and political leaders in New York City. As they leave, they freeze the entrance to Hell, preventing more souls from entering and causing Satan's body to begin decomposing. To stop Adrian and Cassius, Satan sends Nicky to Earth with a silver flask that traps whoever drinks from it inside.
At first, Nicky has trouble staying alive on Earth. He is killed several times, landing in Hell and returning to New York each time. While learning how to eat and sleep, he meets a talking bulldog named Mr. Beefy (voice of Robert Smigel), rents an apartment with an actor named Todd (Allen Covert), and falls in love with a design student named Valerie (Patricia Arquette).
Nicky's first encounter with his brothers occurs when Adrian sees him with Valerie, takes mental control of his body, and makes him scare her away. Then Nicky sees Cassius on television, possessing the referee of a Globetrotters game. When he goes to the court and tricks Cassius into the flask, Satanist metalheads John (Jonathan Loughran) and Peter (Peter Dante) are so thrilled with his performance that they become his devoted fans. That evening, Nicky tries to apologize to Valerie. The meeting goes badly at first, but she accepts him after he explains who he is and why he is on Earth.
The next day, Adrian possesses the Chief of the NYPD (Michael McKean) and accuses Nicky of mass murder. Not knowing what to do, Nicky has Todd kill him so he can go back to Hell and ask his father for advice, but his father has trouble hearing because his ears have fallen off, and his assistants are in a panic because the midnight deadline to capture Adrian and Cassius is only hours away. Back on Earth again, Nicky and his friends devise a plan to capture Adrian in a subway station, but Adrian discovers their trick. In the ensuing fight, Adrian grabs Valerie and dives onto the track as a train approaches, but Nicky throws her out of the way, leaving himself and Adrian to be killed by the train.
Arriving in Hell just minutes before midnight, Adrian begins the process of taking over Hell by pushing what remains of his father aside and sitting on the throne, rising to Central Park, and starting a riotous party. Meanwhile, Nicky wakes up in Heaven as a reward for sacrificing himself and meets his mother (Reese Witherspoon), an angel who tells him he can defeat Adrian with the Inner Light he inherited from her. After she gives him a mysterious orb, he goes to Central Park. Adrian appears to win a pitched battle by locking Nicky in the flask and turning himself into a bat, but Nicky escapes from the flask. When he shatters the orb, Ozzy Osbourne appears, bites Adrian's head off, and spits it into the flask.
With his brothers captured, Nicky is ready to save his father. After he sins to make sure he goes to Hell, he and Valerie express their love for each other and she kills him. In Hell, Satan regains his body and recommends that Nicky go back to Earth. The film ends a year later, when Nicky and Valerie live in New York with their infant son.

Review: There is nothing to not like about this movie, it is virtually non-stop laughs from beginning to end.Reading some other user's reviews I'm stunned at their disdain and hatred for this great film.
This is an epic Sandler piece, and his funniest to date, and is quite possibly the definitive Sandler film.Unlike most people, I loathed Big Daddy, writing it off as cheesy and overly sentimental; a one-joke gag stretched beyond its limits.
This film definitely shows maturity in Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy's writing abilities, as they created a complex and involving storyline, and great and hilarious characters.I recommend this film to any film fans.
It's a fish out of water story with Sandler lost in New York, spoof of the punk rock genre, the damsel in distress theme, hilarious cameo with Rodney Dangerfield in Hell, the sarcastic talking dog, the John Lovitz peeping tom episode, sight gags galore, and the ultimate pineapple in Hiter's you-know-what.
Sure it was funny to watch him get drunk and violent, like in <Happy Gilmore>, but Little Nicky is 10 times the entertainment of all those other Sandler films combined.
This is why you should see <Little Nicky>:1) The soundtrack is awesome 2) It's romantic (talking about butterflies, perfume, love, and floating) 3) All the funny cameos (And believe me, there were a LOT and they were all funny-Henry Winkler, Rob Schneider, Dan Marino, Dana Carvey, Regis Philbin, Ron Howard's brother, and Jon Lovitz to name a few....) In response to the negativity toward short cameos and "ac-TEURS that should've been used more"...*PLEASE!* Since when were Adam Sandler films about boring the audience to death with actors that "deserve" this and that.....You say they're thrown in there just because?
It also came to my attention that the people who think that Sandler is stupid, think the same of Jim Carrey and almost any other pure comedian, which narrows down their comedy taste to 'Scary Movie'.Little Nicky is a film that every Adam Sandler fan has to see.
It's a real treat for every true Adam Sandler fan!Also a great production along with a great Heavy Metal soundtrack make this film one of the best movies Adam's ever done.I have to warn you that you have to have at least some experience with Adam's previous efforts in order to appreciate 'Little Nicky'.
Roasted upon its release as one of the worst films of all time Little Nicky turns out to be an okay comedy.
When it comes to classic, good ol' Adam Sandler, this movie is hit or miss.
The humor in this movie is stupid, but it's done in a way that it is still funny, and that's one of the main reasons why I like this film a lot more than his newer films.
Overall, this movie may not be Adam Sandler's best, but it is definitely one of his better films and I think anyone who hasn't seen it yet will definitely enjoy the hilarious randomness and stupidity, that is Little Nicky, like I have, because it is indeed, a stupid comedy movie that mostly works..
Well, as I learned a lot more about the behind-the-scenes work on this movie; mostly involving special effects, makeup, costume and set design; I gained a better respect for those who were responsible for making "Little Nicky."  I thought of it as more than a shallow comedy.
Now this is the one Adam Sandler movie I do not get the rating off I mean if people like stuff like chuck and Larry and Happy Gilmore then why the hell do they not like this.
The film is a must watch for Adam Sandler fans and just goes to show that people take movies too seriously now days like Adam Sandler movies are meant to be watched and after you watch them you are meant to say "man that was a no brain comedy".
For those who said that this was a movie for Sandler fans only...what b.s. I enjoyed Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Wedding Singer, but Little Nicky was downright awful.
I kept waiting for the film to hit its stride, make me laugh...but unfortunately, that moment never came.Some silly special effects (talking dog), but haven't movie-goers seen this before?Sandler fans...wait til this one comes out on video, or maybe cable...which could be in a few weeks...2 out of 10..
Satan (Harvey Keitel) has come to the end of his ten-thousand year reign in Hell, and has called together his three sons, Adrian (Rhys Ifans), Cassius (Tom `Tiny' Lister Jr.) and Little Nicky (Adam Sandler), to announce which of the three he has chosen to succeed him as ruler of the Nether world for the next ten-thousand years.
Brill was given a golden opportunity to deliver a movie with some real snap and zing to it, but he dropped the ball, big time, and instead presents the material with little imagination, and the result is a very basic what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of film.
None of the jokes are funny, the plot is literally insane, its lost in its own continuity also.i'm not going to spell check this review cause i feel that the movie sucked so bad that it's not worth the time of what i've already written.
As a big fan of movies in general, and comedies in particular, I was EXTREMELY disappointed, even slightly offended, by this dreadful piece of garbage.
Let me just tell you the plot while I drown my sorrows: The son of Satan (played by Adam Sandler) is sent by his father to New York City in order to retrieve his two trouble-making brothers.
It has no funny moments, Sandler makes a complete fool of himself and they even take the time to rip off Sandler's masterpiece "Happy Gilmore" in an admittedly clever cameo by Carl Weathers.But the biggest sin of all is the wasted and I do mean WASTED all-star cast that includes everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Rodney Dangerfield.
If you like Sandler, go rent one of his movies, because this one was "bad as hell.".
One certainly wouldn't expect to be enlightened and enriched by an Adam Sandler movie, but this one wasn't even dumb fun.
And Sandler doesn't stop at being childish and crass, he has to be naff as well (probably to appeal to the date-movie market) and throw in a good measure of sickly romance.The long list of cameos (from Dangerfield to Witherspoon) only demonstrates how much weight this type of junk pulls in Hollywood -- a deeply depressing thought..
Adam Sandler's movies can be categorized into either brilliantly funny (The Wedding Singer) or horribly idiotic.
Little Nicky (2000) Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Tom Tiny' Lister Jr., Rodney Dangerfield, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Quentin Tarantino, Reese Witherspoon, Dana Carvey, Michael McKean, Ozzy Osbourne, D: Steven Brill.
Nice work if you can get it.I will grudgingly give him The Wedding Singer where he fortuitously stumbled on some decent chemistry with Drew Barrymore, but aside from that his movies are generally overly sentimental and woefully short on substance.Little Nicky is another opportunity to build a weak, convoluted story around one of Sandler's lovable schmucks.
Several cameos in this film are director Quentin Tarantino as a blind priest( a running gag in the film), Clint Howard as Nipples a crossdresser and the new to acting Reese Witherspoon(who actually looks pretty cute in this film) as Nicky's mother....an angel.
I don't know what Adam Sandler was thinking when he did this.The worst part of this movie is it's really dirty.
Amid the wake of all the "fake critic" scandals going on right now I find it extremely unbelievable that people actually consider this movie to be one of Sandler's best films.
Even for Adam Sandler fans, this still has to be a disappointment as he provides very little of the movie's real humor.
Worst of all, however, is the totally inept direction  had the film been delivered to better talent, it could have easily been Adam Sandler's best comedy.
With performances and cameos including Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Rodney Dangerfield, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Reese Witherspoon, Henry Winkler, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Schneider, Michael McKean, Robert Smigel, Regis Philbin and Carl Weathers, the film's flaw is its script  the talented actors are required to mutter extremely contrived dialogue, and most of the time they do so quite embarrassingly.
You know you're in trouble when a film's best performance is by Quentin Tarantino  in this case, as a blind preacher who has a habit of injuring himself (every time we see him it's a new brace, bandage, etc.).The plot is basically this: titular character 'Little' Nicky (Sandler) is the son of Lucifer (Keitel), whose other two sons leave hell in search of fun 'up north' in New York City.
The film's problem is that it quickly runs out of steam  it's a one-trick pony and is only able to sustain its screwball antics for so long until it becomes a chore to sit through.One thing I have to give credit to Sandler for is that, although his comedies may not be perfect, most of the time they are somewhat amusing and aren't as commercially sloppy as Little Nicky.
Keitel's performance is weak and Sandler has once again created a grating voice  Little Nicky sounds just like his geeky character from SNL who would show up on Weekend Updates to give music reports.
The movie is one big Adam Sandler Celebration  it references Gilmore, Madison, Waterboy, and even lines from the films (having said 'It's all in the hips!' about three times).
0 stars out of ****Okay, Adam Sandler has been allowed to get away with some bad movies in his time.
Of course Adam Sandler delivers a perfect role in this great movie as little Nicky and i also like when he ate the bat llol..
Much like in The Waterboy Adam Sandler plays a dumb yet lovable repressed nobody coming into his powers, except the setting is hell and instead of a losing football game Sandler's character Nicky must save his father, the king of hell.
There are plenty of other moments of originality and pure devilish humor (guess the torture for Hitler) that does set this film apart in its own right despite having a nod to other Adam Sandler stories.I give this movie 8/10 because I enjoyed it a super great deal and even liked the message it imparted in its own funny way about the power of small enjoyable things over stark antagonistic entities.
Maybe I was looking for what it is people rave about with all Adam Sandler films; I guess I just couldn't really come to terms with the simple fact that this is not good entertainment.
Another thing, I'm an Adam Sandler fan, and other people on here who say they love him and then go on to say his best film was "Big Daddy" are not to be trusted.
If you want cheap laughs that everyone gets, and silly things that'll make you giggle, rent movies by Sandler like "Billy Madison" (his TRUE best), "Happy Gilmoure" (a close second), and perhaps even "The Wedding Singer" (good, but not the same type of comedy as found in Happy and Billy).
I don't even LIKE the little nicky character, but the rest of the movie has the old-school Sandler-esque moments which makes it worth watching.Once again, if you're looking for some sort of 'deeper humour', don't rent this one.
If you're willing to have a good time and just laugh at whatever gets you goin, rent Little Nicky or Billy Madison or Happy Gilmoure..
This film is about one of the sons of Satan coming to Earth to prevent a disaster of apocalyptic proportions--though why Satan and Nicky would want to prevent this is beyond me.Adam Sandler is talented and has made some decent films.
DEEDS (with Sandler having the nerve to try to replicate a film classic that starred the great Gary Cooper) as well as LITTLE NICKY.
You can tell the cast were having a great time, and it sneaks into the film.Soundtrack is entertaining, and doesn't clash with the movie like many other "rock" soundtracks (i.e., Queen's Flash Gordon - groan)..
Little Nicky is the wild and craziest Sandler film I have ever seen.
For those Sandler fans who have seen any of his films, that including Happy Gilmore, will get a very funny and enjoy surprise with one of the cameos.
In the end, Little Nicky is a funny and at times wild comedy from mastermind Adam Sandler.
Honestly, unless you are a big fan of Adam Sandler, this movie leaves everything to be desired.
I have always been a fan of Adam Sandler because he consistently turns great comedies; however, all good things must come to an end.
"Little Nicky" is the end of the line for Sandler's long string of great comedies.
I lost respect for this film when it became clear the cast and crew were relying on stupid comedy for its success.The only tolerable aspect of "Little Nicky" was the appearances of Dangerfield and Keitel because they played the most interesting characters in the movie.
Sandler films such as "The Wedding Singer," "The Waterboy," "Big Daddy" and "Bulletproof" gave me reason to smile because I knew he didn't have to try hard to make me laugh; something "Little Nicky" did and failed.
Sandler IS a great comedian; however, he has failed to make me laugh with "Little Nicky." I hope he gets back on track soon because he may not have a long career making films like "Little Nicky."Arquette is an actress who is wasted in her role because she has no supportaround her.
I was needing to kill a couple of hours last night, moving the clocks ahead one hour for daylight saving time, so I found this movie, "Little Nicky", on Amazon streaming.A goofy premise, Satan has been ruling Hell for 10,000 years and is thinking it is time to turn duties over to one of his three sons, but none of them are ready.
This is the first time I ever paid to see one (I usually just catch them on cable), & Sandler truly did not disappoint me -- I doubt I will ever go out of my way to spend money on one of his films again.This movie is no doubt a favorite of people who still laugh at fart jokes.
Those who don't appreciate Sandler will probably not like this movie either, but they should have a few laughs.
I laughed my arse off during the waterboy and I can quite easily overlook some of the not-so-funny things Sandler does in his filmsBUT this film is crap.
I saw Little Nicky, and I was frankly disappointed in the fact that Adam Sandler, who I believe to be a very creative man, did not tread any new ground.
Even though I am a big fan of Adam Sandler and I slightly enjoyed this movie, I couldn't give it a high rating.
Adam Sandler is a very funny man but where this movie fails is its overdose on sentimentality.
Little Nicky is awesome, the best Adam Sandler movie of all time.
I have seen and own nearly every more he has appeared in--from Going Overboard to his latest, Little Nicky--and I must say that if I had to rank this among my favorite Sandler movies, this has to be one of his worst.From a comedy standpoint I felt it wasn't nearly as funny as some of my personal favorites such as Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and Billy Madison.
One or two things made me laugh, but not as much as I expect from a Sandler movie.
I'm a big Adam Sandler fan and I can say that this is his 2nd to best movie (Happy Gilmore being the best).
Adam Sandler gave one of his best performances in this movie, in my opinion.
But the funny thing is, I've come to enjoy Little Nicky.
Little Nicky seems almost like the last film Adam Sandler is going to make.
Either way, don't expect him to do Shakespeare for a while.Adam Sandler's Nicky was a promising character.
But it wasn't cool because the movie we should see was little nicky, with Adam Sandler (I just hate that guy).
I am a fan of Adam Sandler, but I just don't understand what he was thinking when he decided to make this film.
I was happy to see Adam Sandler trying new things, but still packing in his good old humor...
Whenever I hear that a new Adam Sandler movie is coming out I get excited because I hope it is going to make me roll on the floor, like Happy Gilmore did, but when I saw the preview for Little Nicky, I did not want to see it at all.
Clearly meant for his core audience of hardcore fans, Little Nicky is another raunchy, yet hilarious movie from Adam Sandler.
Hell looks like a fine place to live, and as the Devil,   Harvey Keitel seriously downplays both the Devil's evil side and his funny side, doing little to add to the film.
One of Adam Sandler's Better Films.
Little Nicky is definitely one of Adam Sandler's better films.
And even though I liked Big Daddy, I'd have to say that Little Nicky is his best film.
Adam Sandler's latest comedy, `Little Nicky,' hasn't been a hit with most critics.
Granted, it wasn't his best, but you can't walk into an Adam Sandler movie expecting `Citizen Kane.'  Anyone going to see `Little Nicky' should realize that it's another comedy in the spirit of `The Waterboy' and `Billy Madison.'As the film opens, we see a peeping tom (John Lovitz, singing `Ladies' Night' for `Wedding Singer' fans) get caught in the act.
Adam Sandler's contorted face and annoying speech impediment made this film hard to watch - but the scene with Ozzy makes it all worthwhile.