I’m not sure how much this one really has to do with Christmas but its got some great songs in it! – Will
Davey Stone is a troublemaking drunk who finds himself in front of a judge one too many times. The judge gives Davey one last chance to stay out of trouble by teaming him up with his childhood basketball coach.
Directed by – Seth Kearsley
Written by – Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Adam Sandler
Starring – Adam Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Austin Stout, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Norm Crosby, Jon Lovitz, Judith Sandler, Stan Sandler
I thought this would be some sort of weird take on the Dickens story of Scrooge but really it’s just the story of an angry, drunken loser who has to work together with a cheery youth basketball coach to keep himself out of jail. Everything just happens around Christmas but it doesn’t really have anything to do with Christmas which was disappointing. I’ll be the first person to admit that I can’t stand the bellowing Adam Sandler at all. That’s the Sandler you get in this one but it’s dialed down a notch at least. The movie was still really funny and had some really hilarious songs in it.
Sandler is Davey, the drunken loser who hates everyone and everything but hates it all a little more around the holiday season. He has his reasons but it still gets him into trouble over and over again. When he lands in court once again the judge is determined to send him to jail but the local basketball coach convinces the judge to give him one last chance and let Davey work with him to stay out of trouble. The coach (also played by Sandler) is the joke of the town and the two are complete opposites. Eventually the two begin to see eye to eye and Davey decides to do his best to show the town that the coach is no joke.
Sandler plays the parts of Davey, Coach Whitey and the coach's sister Eleanore.
While Sandler as Davey is annoying in that way that only Sandler can do, his parts as Coach Whitey and Whitey’s sister Eleanore were hilarious. You’ll spend half the time laughing at them and the other half laughing with them but they’re always good for a laugh. The majority of the story deals with Davey coming to accept Whitey and realizing that he shouldn’t be the joke of the town but there’s a little sub-plot involving a girl who Davey used to love and her son. That part isn’t really fleshed out too much and goes from one extreme to another with little motivation.
It’s called Eight Crazy Nights and I thought it would have a lot to do with Christmas and Chanukah but the only role the holidays have is that the story is set during that time. That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I sat down with the kids for a Christmas movie but it does still have snow and Christmas trees in it so I guess it’s halfway there. There was also some really cute deer in the movie that always seem to be in the right place at just the right time.
So, is that a deeramid?
If the movie is supposed to be about Davey’s character then they’ve failed because I could care less about him. To me it was all about Whitey and how he wants to win the towns award recognizing a local citizen for his contributions over the year. When he loses the award once again it’s up to Davey to convince everyone that Whitey deserves it more than anyone. Davey may have changed his attitude enough to realize that life is about more than just yourself but seeing Whitey finally get what he deserves is the real treat in the movie.
If Sandler grates your nerves like he does mine then you may be more annoyed with this film than anything else. It helps that Whitey and his sister are so hilarious and takes the edge of the obnoxious Sandler enough that I could make it through the movie, even managing to laugh out loud on more than one occasion. There’s some swearing, poop and sexual jokes so I’m not sure just how this one plays out for the kids in your house but mine laugh their asses off when someone farts or burps so they were all for it. It’s a good mix of childish and serious and managed to have enough humour for me to enjoy the flick. It may not make my top ten for favorite holiday films but the kids like it enough to have it in the yearly rotation.
Under the marquee – Will
I liked this movie. I try to look for it during the abysmally boring Xmas movie lineups on the different channels. Sandler as Whitey was his best character, and I think the movie kinda showed the real main of the movie was that lovable old coot with Davey as just a plot driver.
I have gathered up a giant collection of Christmas movies because it seems they never have something good on TV this time of year. I never catch any of my favorites and the ones I do manage to see end up being heavily edited anyway. I imagine I’ll watch this one with the kids every year but I don’t think it really makes it into my personal favorites.
It’s an acquired taste XD I become like Davey around certain people at work/home XD