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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 24, 2002
Mr. Deeds (PG-13)
Adam Sandler stars in a remake of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, a 1936 film by Frank Capra starring Gary Cooper as Longfellow Deeds, a shy, small-town hero who inherits a fortune and moves to New York. The plot remains essentially the same, with some updating for today's less sophisticated comedy tastes, such as John Turturro's scene-stealing role as a Latin valet and Winona Ryder's character working for a tabloid TV show while she falls in love with Deeds. Peter Gallagher co-stars as a scheming business partner.
First impressions: "There isn't much difference on the surface between Cooper's Deeds and Sandler's. Both actors mumble their lines too much, and neither looks especially comfortable with being a love interest. Sandler wisely tones down his manic act, putting the movie more in line with The Wedding Singer than the antagonistic comedy of The Waterboy and Big Daddy. Watch closely and you'll see Sandler evolving into a capable romantic lead whenever fans allow him to grow up."
Second thoughts: Wait until you see Sandler's next step toward respectability, Punch-Drunk Love, opening Nov. 1.
Rental audience: Sandler fans, curious film purists ready to see how this remake measures up.
Rent it if you enjoy: The Wedding Singer and the more sedate parts of Happy Gilmore.
Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) are sex-obsessed teenagers living in Mexico with their girlfriends on summer vacation. These immature boys meet an older, married woman named Luisa (Maribel Verdu) and invite her on a road trip to a beautiful beach, hoping she'll have sex with either or both of them. Director Alfonso Cuaron adds a measure of depth to the simple plot outline by making Luisa the wife of a philanderer, which gives Verdu a few anguished scenes and motivation for her sexual curiosity about the boys.
First impressions: "The acting, when required, is good, and the screenplay is sprinkled with small, humorous gems. But unless I was too distracted to notice, the most important theme in Y Tu Mama Tambien is unfettered sex. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Yet, anyone who tries to convince you that Cuaron's film contains some deep-rooted importance will probably insist they read Playboy just for the articles."
Second thoughts: Okay, there are also allusions to social-class barriers, but the sexy stuff steals the show.
Rental audience: Art-film enthusiasts, voyeurs who don't mind subtitles.
Rent it if you enjoy: Kids, fantasizing about what Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes were doing in Summer of '42.