Adam Sandler as the son of a devil? What's not to like?
An Adam Sandler film has dropped on Netflix just in time for some classic trashy weekend viewing.
The comedic actor has become famous for his wide-array of films, having released over 50 films throughout his career. Some have become cult classics (
Happy Gilmore), some have been critically acclaimed (
Uncut Gems), and most have just been truly dreadful (
Jack and Jill).
Little Nicky definitely falls into the last category.
The 2000 film came out around the same time as films such as
Meet the Parents and
Scary Movie, but it has not had the same staying power and was panned by the critics.
This is perhaps not surprising when you hear the plot, which sees Sandler play the role of Nicky, the son of a devil played by Harvey Keitel.
His father wants him to get involved in the family business of living in hell, but Nicky decides to visit Earth instead to try and restore the balance between good and evil.
Despite also starring Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans and Quentin Tarantino, the cast couldn't prevent the film ending up with a
pitiful Rotten Tomatoes score of 21 percent.
The site's summary describes the jokes in the film as "dumb, tasteless, and not that funny" and labels Sandler's character as "grating to watch."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0jhAYDiFwo
One critic wrote: "It would be hyperbole to argue that the road to movie hell is entirely paved with Adam Sandler's crude intentions -- but the guy sure has made a heck of a start."
Writing for
Rolling Stone, Peter Travers said: "Where's Sandler in all this? Lost in gimmicks that smack of desperation."
Someone else commented: "Creating perhaps his most irritating persona to date, Sandler manages to get through the entire movie with barely a single gag, save for a few uninspired chuckles."
But perhaps there's a bit of hope for the movie now it's on Netflix, as it scored a much higher - but still far from impressive - audience score of 55 percent.
And one critic wrote: "If you can take Sandler for more than five minutes, this is his funniest film to date."
The official synopsis reads: "In a perfect world, he'd be happy to head-bang in his room all day to heavy metal music.
"But no, his mom is an angel, his old man is the devil, and like all good fathers, he insists that Nicky get involved in the 'family business'.
"Nicky could think of 666 things he'd rather be doing than corrupting souls or spewing evil, but when his father's command over Hades is threatened by his bullying older brothers, it's up to unbalanced Nicky to restore the balance between Good and Evil on earth."
I'm sold.
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