No Reason to Animate this Script

Stars
1. Adam Sandler -- Davey Stone/Whitey Duvall/Eleanore Duvall (voice)
2. Jackie Titone -- Jennifer (voice)
3. Austin Stout -- Benjamin (voice)

Executives
1. Seth Kearsley -- Director
2. Brooks Arthur -- Writer
3. Allen Covert -- Writer

In his newest endeavor, 8 Crazy Nights, Adam Sandler experiments with animation. Sandler voices three characters in the musical comedy, which is rated PG-13. I expected vintage Sandler, and received it. But, for whatever reason, Sandler did this film in animation.

I did some research, but I never found an answer for "why animation?". During my research, I learned that neither the director nor the writers had experience with animation. In an interview, the reporter asked Sandler the "why question," but Sandler side-stepped, saying: "Who doesn't like cartoons." I like cartoons, but half-way through, I wanted real Sandler, not animated Sandler.

During the film, I wanted to rationalize the animated script. I looked for a character that would only work when animated; I considered budget concerns. But, I failed to find a good reason to animate, and I had to conclude that this script would have been funnier without the animation.

The story starts with Davey Stone, who is animated to appear like Sandler and who is voiced by Sandler. Stone is every small town's nightmare, a boozer and a loser. After his parents die in a car accident, Stone gives up on life. He hates himself and holiday cheer, and he does his best to ruin everyone's holiday fun.

Shortly after his trailer is torched by a former foe, Stone ruins Whitey and Eleanore Duvall's (both voiced by Adam Sandler) fun when he moves into their home. Eleanore and Whitey, an aging pair of hilarious siblings, would be even funnier if you could decipher their dialogue.

Stone also has a love interest, Jennifer (voiced by Jackie Titone). His love interest has a son, Benjamin (voiced by Austin Stout). Stone has a past with Jennifer, and it is that past that pulls him back from the brink. In the end, Stone vindicates himself, making things right with Whitey and Eleanore and winning the girl, Jennifer.

The film had some unusual aspects, including: an unfamiliar voice that broke the action to narrate; a group of deer that play an active role; a mall that becomes a shrine of sorts; and fecal matter that becomes smelly humor (literally).

Between the love interest, the farts, the mall advertisements, and the helpful deer, a conflict arises: will Stone reform? On his road to recovery, Stone only had to reform himself. He had to accept his parents’ death, have a good cry, and be happy. He eventually confronts himself in the mall when Starbucks and Foot Locker ads attack him. Stone accepts the inevitable. Then he rushes off to defend Whitey's honor, and by doing so, he wins everyone's respect.

There are serious problems with this film. First, the advertisements and the mall scenes are obvious -- someone funded this film and received advertisement time in return. In fact, the writers wrote the script with the advertisers in mind. I can almost see the writers’ brains twisting: "of course the mall should be the shrine, how else will we fit in all the advertisements?"

Second, it is a challenge to understand Eleanor and Whitey Duvall's (both voiced by Adam Sandler) dialogue. Their voices distracted me as much as the Waterboy's, but I grew accustomed to the Waterboy's because I understood it; here, I found the Duvalls' voices incomprehensible. The third point is a restatement – given the animation experience of everyone involved on this project, I see no reason to animate this script.

At one hour and forty minutes, this film runs short. So, you might tolerate sitting through the first quarter of the credits to hear Sandler's Hanukkah song, in which Osama Bin Laden is mentioned. Also, try to arrive on time because there is a short before the film that gives you a humorous view of a dog's life.

In the end, if a friend loved Sandler, then I would recommend this movie. Otherwise, I would advise watching it on DVD or VHS, if you bother to watch it at all.



Written By: MommaWarnedU, who can be reached at UrMotherWarnedUaboutMe@hotmail.com