Mr Deeds 2002

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Sandler is ready to be himself again, which means veering between his usual devilish savant and a newer post-adolescent gentleman. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Makes the Capra film, labeled cornball by some even in 1936, seem like Shakespeare. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Surprisingly sweet and, dare we say it, old-fashioned. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: There's nothing funny about this. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: It's nothing more than a money maker for the filmmakers and a pointless star vehicle for Sandler. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Anyone who has responded to the sweet side of Adam Sandler's growing comic screen persona is sure to be delighted by Mr. Deeds. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Lacks almost everything that made the 1936 movie an enduring classic: idealism, heart, social and political savvy, convincing romanticism, robust ensemble acting and humor. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Mostly terrible, a shambles of a comedy that looks as if it was shot by a tabloid news crew. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: The otherwise good-naturedness of Mr. Deeds, with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less- than-likely New York celebrities ... certainly raises the film above anything Sandler's been attached to before. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's sweet, harmless, dumb, occasionally funny and about as compelling as a fishing show. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: It's a film that isn't there, 91 minutes of celluloid without a movie. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: Mr. Deeds isn't bad for an Adam Sandler film, which is as backhanded as a compliment can get. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: If you're over 25, have an IQ over 90, and have a driver's license, you should be able to find better entertainment. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: This is Sandler running on empty, repeating what he's already done way too often. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: A surprisingly funny movie. Read more

Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: A witless and wafer-thin remake. Read more

Hazel-Dawn Dumpert, L.A. Weekly: No amount of spastic-colon jokes, cartoon violence or good-buddy cameos (Al Sharpton, John McEnroe) can distract from the fact that Gary Cooper [Sandler] ain't. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: The people who made this movie... [crammed] so many product placements into the action that you feel like there should be an 800 number at the bottom of the screen. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Never decides whether it wants to be a surreal farce, a satire, a romance, an homage or all of the above. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: This is very much of a mixed bag, with enough negatives to outweigh the positives. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Frank Capra played this story straight. But the 2002 film doesn't really believe in it, and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate 'comedy' scenes. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Utterly predictable, thoroughly sentimental and -- worse -- not all that funny. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: A stink bomb of a movie. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: You don't have to be a tree-hugging pacificist to be sickened by the constant sight of Sandler putting his fists and boots to someone, or of others imitating his psychotic behaviour. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: The star and his numbskull cronies piss on Capra's grave with acrid insincerity. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: It virtually defines a comedy that's strongly mediocre, with funny bits surfacing every once in a while. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: People who just call 'em as they see 'em need only note that this remake of one of Frank Capra's most famous pictures is a perfectly dreadful film and leave it at that. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Let's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line: Stay home. Read more