Wondering which film star would fill the shoes of the legendary noble-commoner-as-heartthrob Gary Cooper? Apparently, it is
Adam Sandler? The memories of Cooper and director Frank Capra (who made a career out of giving schmaltz a good name) are poorly served by this lame remake of the classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. As the pizza-delivering loser who inherits $40 million, Sandler further proves he hasnt actually acted since his days on Saturday Night Live. Through such annoying vehicles as Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy and this one, Sandler has gained questionable fame by basically playing the same character over and over: a sloppy everyman-savant meant to expose everyone else as stuffed-shirt hypocrites. This shtick isnt just getting old; its way past retirement age. Woefully miscast are the otherwise talented John Turturro as a butler and Winona Ryder as a TV reporter, they should be scolded for enabling Sandler.