Movie Review: Little Nicky (2000)

The movie stars Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Reese Witherspoon, Rodney Dangerfield and Tommy ‘Tiny’Lister Jr.

I had an opportunity to watch this movie when I was home for lunch today and, even though I had seen it before, ended up doing just that. The film, largely because I had seen it before, was kind of predictable. But, it was also as entertaining as I remembered it being the first time I saw it.

I have always had a bit of a mixed opinion about Adam Sandler. I like some of his movies but am not a fan of a lot of them. This film, however, definitely falls into that former category simply because it is unique and cleverly written.

The thing I really liked about this movie is the way Nicky’s (Sandler) biggest obstacle throughout is himself, whether it’s him walking in front of trains (causing him to die, be sent back to Hell and start over) or coping with the fact he is falling in love with a human (Arquette). The fact his brothers don’t appear to have many, if any, weaknesses only makes his own flaws much more apparent.

Of course, the most memorable performance in this movie has to be Witherspoon as Nicky’s angel mother. I loved how the film made Heaven seem like one big slumber party with Witherspoon and the other angels acting like a bunch of college coeds, partly because it made her sound advice to her son surprisingly insightful simply because it was so unexpected. The fact her and Satan (Harvey Keitel) were an on again/off again couple was both strange and funny at the same time.

I wasn’t overly crazy about the final battle between Nicky and his brother Adrian (Ifans), just because it did reach a point where some of the things they did were a bit on the ridiculous side (though I did admittedly like Rob Schneider’s cameo appearance). However, the movie did do a good job of not letting that part get too out of hand and, mostly because I enjoyed the film up until that point, I’m able to overlook it.

It’s not Adam Sandler’s best movie. But, it’s also not one of his worst and, overall, it is an entertaining and funny film. If you missed this movie, I do recommend taking the time to watch it if you get a chance because I feel you’ll be surprised by it.

My Grade: B