Why Adam Sandler's Infamous Holiday Bomb Isn't As Bad As Everyone Says

Although it has an ignominious reputation, Adam Sandlerholiday movie Eight crazy nights It's not as bad as critics claim. In 2002, it really seemed like Adam Sandler could do no wrong. After a successful career in creating stars Saturday night liveSandler starred in a string of hit '90s comedies that elevated him to Hollywood's A-list. Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The water boyand Big daddy were all big hits, while the 1998 The wedding singer proved that Sandler could also anchor a beautiful romantic comedy. This era featured some of Sandler's best characters and made his box office gold.

However, the failure of the 2000s Little Nicky should have been a signal to Sandler. This ambitiously weird fantasy comedy saw Sandler bring his brand of popular comedy to a risky new genre and the resulting mashup was hated by critics and ignored by movie-goers. It didn't help that the titular misfit was one of Sandler's worst characters, but the actor would soon be hit with another failure that further diminished his star power. 2002 animated holiday musical Eight crazy nights was a huge flop for Sandler, although the film isn't as bad as its reputation suggests.

Eight Crazy Nights is a step back in more ways than one

Adam Sandler's animated flop mixes early 2000s comedy and '90s animation

Common Rotten tomatoes critical rating of just 13%, It's fair to call Eight crazy nights one of Sandler's biggest failures. With a budget of US$34 million, Eight crazy nights it grossed just $23 million upon release, and few critics found anything to enjoy in the adult animated comedy. However, it is worth noting that Eight crazy nights there is a much stronger one Rotten tomatoes audience score of 50%. Although undeniably imperfect, Eight crazy nights sums up the waning light of some memorable cinematic eras.

With the story of an unrepentant and immature criminal sent to live with an elderly benefactor, Eight crazy nights takes several subversive jabs at holiday classics like It's a wonderful life. The film is a broad parody of classic TV specials like the Rankin/Bass and A Charlie Brown Christmasbut Eight crazy nights works as a throwback to an era of serious, gleefully bad comedy that could feel strange, dark, offensive, and, at times, quite effective. Essentially, a Don Bluth film crossed with an episode of Idiot, Eight crazy nights It has a unique, quintessentially early 2000s appeal.

Eight Crazy Nights' has a sweet moral behind the dark comedy

Sandler's Holiday Movie Isn't As Dark As It Sounds

Like most Sandler films, Eight crazy nights follows an initially unlikeable protagonist who the audience grows to like over time as the antihero learns to take responsibility. However, while Sandler's worst films cynically reuse this format as an excuse for toilet humor and sentimental sentimentality, the sheer pettiness of Eight crazy nights It's surprisingly stimulating. The purposefully harsh comedy eventually reveals a sweet moral core at the center of its narrative, highlighting the importance of community, growth, and emotional bonds. The long journey to reach that sweetness only makes it more effective.

Sandler's Davey Stone is nastier and meaner than most of his live-action characters, but he also has a genuinely moving backstory that justifies his rage against the world. Meanwhile, his elderly mentor, Whitey, is constantly mistreated by a hateful small town that sees him as a doormat and a figure of fun. However, this notable badness of Sandler's animated film is precisely what makes Eight crazy nights a holiday classicas its eventually happy ending feels completely earned after all the brutality the main characters endured.

Eight Crazy Nights was an ambitious balance that deserves respect

Sandler's Scarily Dark and Weird Holiday Movie Got Some Love

Adam Sandler's animated holiday film was a financial and critical flop, and it's not hard to see why. Where most adult animation, from South Park to Fritz the Catadopts a raw and bold visual style, Eight crazy nights it looks like a children's film, but it feels like a precursor to Bad Santa in terms of its dark tone and dark sense of humor. The film never gets its own style right, which makes its largely negative reviews understandable. That said, Sandler venturing into an animated epic at the height of his career as a comedy star is still commendable.

Watching the movie again now, Eight crazy nights is a time capsule back to a certain cynical brand of 2000s humor that lost a lot of cultural currency and the lush traditional 2D animation that died out before the end of the decade. It may not be Adam Sandler's best animated film, but Eight crazy nights is a fun reminder that the star isn't as predictable as his critics have suggested. Despite all your flaws, Eight crazy nights is exactly as strange, uneven and strangely enchanting as the promise of a Adam Sandler Special animated holiday sounds.

Source: Rotten tomatoes