It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to point out all of the
fatal flaws in this movie. The premise is utterly ridiculous and overly
fantastical with no consistent logic. The movie’s sense of humor is incredibly
poor and toothless. The film jumps between different tones and moods like
complete whiplash. The film is loaded with unappealing characters and
near-offensive racial stereotypes. Despite a decent turn from Adam Sandler, the
rest of the ensemble cast register in the negative range. The film bounces back
and forth between heinously boring and appallingly tasteless.
What’s most perplexing, however, is when you realize that
Tom McCarthy, director of films like The Visitor, is the writer and director of
this movie. What’s worse is that his intentions seem to come from a good place,
but in actuality are hateful and creepy (such as a scene where Sandler poses as his
father to rekindle his mother’s relationship with him). That’s not even a
fraction of the jaw-dropping things in this movie. I’m actually convinced he
made this movie awful on purpose. There’s no other excuse for how hideous this
movie is, especially because it feels like a huge step back for a man as
progressively minded and topic sensitive as him.
Between this movie and Men, Women & Children, it was
simply one disaster after another for Sandler’s comeback at drama. He somehow worked
with the director of The Visitor, and wound up in a film with a comedic murder
scene. This is the stuff that infamy and laughing stocks are made of!
* / *****
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