Little Nicky (2000)

Director: Steven Brill

Cast: Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel

Synopsis: After two of the devil’s three sons escape Hell to wreak havoc on Earth, the devil must send his third son, the mild-mannered Nicky, to bring them back before it’s too late.

Little Nicky has to be the most woeful excuse for a; it consists almost entirely of puerile juvenile humour that is embarrassingly unfunny, and a performance from Adam Sandler (50 First Dates) that is excruciating to watch. This guy must have been something special on SNL for his career to survive the number of stinkers he has produced in the last few years. His face pulling and whispery voice is presumably supposed to be funny and endearing, but simply succeeds in irritating, and he looks like Al Pacino in Dick Tracy, rather than Scarface, the movie which is referenced. There are a few scattered laughs, but they’re like oases in the desert – their presence merely makes you despair at the wasteland that surrounds them. The only plus point is some good special effects. To be honest, the fact that Sandler’s flatmate appears to have no belly button was the most interesting aspect of the movie.

(Reviewed 22nd July 2002)