Before I decided to write this short review (in the summertime, no less), let me tell you that I have seen this movie not once, but twice. The first time was when it aired edited with commercials on Comedy Central, and at that time, I didn't like it. Then I watched it when it was available for streaming on Netflix (which it isn't anymore) in its unedited form. I still didn't like it. I think you get the gist of what I think of this holiday travesty of an animated motion picture.
I'm not an Adam Sandler fan by any means, though I will admit he's had some good films earlier in his career. I know a good movie when I see it. This movie, on the other hand, was made at the time when Sandler started to throw farting and "number two" jokes at the audience. That, and the case of this film, our main protagonist is probably one of the most unlikable movie characters ever conceived for cinema (but not as much as Jar Jar Binks, let's just say that). In "Eight Crazy Nights", Sandler plays a character named Davey, a public drunk who pretty much hates everybody and has constantly gotten himself into a lot of trouble, to the point where he has a criminal record longer than Santa's naughty list. In other words, he's a total jerk. He's then put on probation under the supervision of a retired basketball referee named Whitey (unfortunately, also played by Sandler), who has a voice that'll make you envy the deaf. There's more to why Davey is like this, because later in the film, Whitey explains how Davey's life went spiraling downhill, but the question is, would you care after seeing what kind of crap (literally and metaphorically) Davey pulls off on him?
I'll give credit where credit is due. The animation is indeed well-done, as it was done by those who used to work at Warner Brothers' animation department on films made in the late '90s like "Cats Don't Dance" and "The Iron Giant", but all of the good animation that was used in those movies has all gone to waste on a Happy Madison production that is not funny, disgusting at times, and is just downright mean-spirited all around. I know what you're thinking: What about "Bad Santa"? Well, here's the thing, "Bad Santa" was funny, and even though the main character was also an jerk, he wasn't insulting or unlikable, and you can sympathize with him.
If you're an Adam Sandler fan and still believe that this movie is funny, more power to you. The film is available on DVD cheap as chips if you don't have it, but as for me, this film has no welcome place on my DVD shelf.
I'm not an Adam Sandler fan by any means, though I will admit he's had some good films earlier in his career. I know a good movie when I see it. This movie, on the other hand, was made at the time when Sandler started to throw farting and "number two" jokes at the audience. That, and the case of this film, our main protagonist is probably one of the most unlikable movie characters ever conceived for cinema (but not as much as Jar Jar Binks, let's just say that). In "Eight Crazy Nights", Sandler plays a character named Davey, a public drunk who pretty much hates everybody and has constantly gotten himself into a lot of trouble, to the point where he has a criminal record longer than Santa's naughty list. In other words, he's a total jerk. He's then put on probation under the supervision of a retired basketball referee named Whitey (unfortunately, also played by Sandler), who has a voice that'll make you envy the deaf. There's more to why Davey is like this, because later in the film, Whitey explains how Davey's life went spiraling downhill, but the question is, would you care after seeing what kind of crap (literally and metaphorically) Davey pulls off on him?
I'll give credit where credit is due. The animation is indeed well-done, as it was done by those who used to work at Warner Brothers' animation department on films made in the late '90s like "Cats Don't Dance" and "The Iron Giant", but all of the good animation that was used in those movies has all gone to waste on a Happy Madison production that is not funny, disgusting at times, and is just downright mean-spirited all around. I know what you're thinking: What about "Bad Santa"? Well, here's the thing, "Bad Santa" was funny, and even though the main character was also an jerk, he wasn't insulting or unlikable, and you can sympathize with him.
If you're an Adam Sandler fan and still believe that this movie is funny, more power to you. The film is available on DVD cheap as chips if you don't have it, but as for me, this film has no welcome place on my DVD shelf.