Little  Nicky

People, critics have a tendency to label certain movies and actors into two distinct categories. It's what I term the "love-or-loathe syndrome". To me, such definites just do not exist. There is always a middle ground. Adam Sandler is one such actor who has been described thus. He is like everyone else in Hollywood, easily capable of making good movies and bad movies. He is also an actor capable of a variety of performances, albeit mostly if not entirely comedic. There is middle ground and I sit firmly on it. I hated Big Daddy, found The Wedding Singer passable despite Drew Barrymore’s wet performance, yet found Billy Madison and The Waterboy insanely endearing. Little Nicky is one of his most enjoyable movies to date, yet unfortunately will win him no new British converts, entrenched as it is in Americana. As shown in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Hell ain’t all that bad. The people are friendly and welcoming. Satan is just a hugely misunderstood guy who has problems of his own, problems we normal mortals can easily relate to. He has three sons. Adrian and Cassius, two nasty little bastards who think their pappy is softening up in his old age and the youngest, sweet innocent Nicky who has no interest in the “family business”. When the bad seeds escape to Earth, intent on corrupting the population of New York, it is up to Nicky to save the day. Little Nicky cruises by in its own warped little bubble. It is a strange beast, a comedy with no real laugh-out-loud moments yet it remains enjoyable through sheer oddball exuberance. Of course starring a certain Mr Sandler as it does, avoiding crudity is impossible. There is a whole array of “gags” designed specifically for the hormonally driven crowd, the likes of which will leave a more mature audience silent, especially the “tithead” sequence – don’t ask. Fortunately, as the movie runs along on a purely goofball engine, there are several injections of welcome black humour throughout. This latest Sandler movie settles once and for all just why he is so big in America, yet merely a blip over here. In Little Nicky’s relatively short running time, there is a joke or reference solely directed toward the “home crowd” at least every three minutes. These set pieces will leave the majority of Brits cold and with good reason annoyed. In some cases the script elaborates but too often takes an American audience for granted. The cast are quite clearly enjoying themselves, especially Harvey Keitel, once more loosening up, and exploring his obvious comedic talents. His Satan, while nowhere near as sexy as Liz Hurley’s Bedazzled interpretation is considerably more interesting presented as he is in a more paternal role. Patricia Arquette plays a fluffy love interest with admitted less to do but she is still eminently watchable. I only wish she would return to roles with more substance, rather than demoting herself to “girlfriend” status. Ever since the wicked Welsh comedy Twin Town, Rhys Ifans’ career hasn’t slowed down. Having stole Notting Hill from under the noses of its two stars; he tries the same here, but is left down with a rather pantomime-quality bad guy. In the last reel, Reese Witherspoon pops up and she is a truly welcome surprise. She is a talented actress with a constantly growing resume in comedy, including her turns in Pleasantville and the blackly humorous Election. Here, she lights up the screen in her perky role as an angel. Amongst this support is a whole list of cameos most of whom enjoy making fun of their already established personas. In case you’ve been wondering what Quentin Tarantino has been doing since Jackie Brown, look no further. And then there is Adam Sandler. As Nicky, he is actually a rather endearing soul, presenting for once a character who is truly empathetic, instead of the usual self-centred schmuck he is known for. Nicky shares a good deal in common with The Waterboy’s Bobby Boucher, most notably the slightly off-putting comedic voice which as the movie progresses becomes just as loveable as the character it belongs to. At the end of the day, the more “enlightened” critics will likely have a field day taking apart this harmless, often fun little movie but there really is nothing wrong with allowing your brain ninety minutes of downtime. Just don’t hope to remember it the following morning.