I'll start off this review by saying this is without a doubt one of the strangest films I've ever seen. I had actually been looking forward to it because McCarthy's past films have been good and it was nice to see Sandler in a different type of film. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't good either.
I really have no clue what McCarthy was going for here. The film starts off as an old-fashioned comedy with some drama thrown in, but it eventually becomes jumbled in a bunch of subplots that involve saving the neighborhood a murder plot involving gangsters. Parts of it get a bit dark and surprisingly violent for a PG-13. It's a mix of a dramedy, fantasy comedy, and crime thriller that never mash together leading to the film having a major identity crisis.
I think some people are pinning it on Sandler being the problem here, but he is actually decent in his role. Although, I found it strange that they chose to show the other actors in the roles of the side characters when Sandler is "in their shoes". It would have been funnier and much more enjoyable if it had been done the other way around. Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman also appear briefly in the film, but neither of them are giving much to do.
The main reason why the film fails is because of it's script. As previously mentioned, the film is an uneven mess. McCarthy and Paul Sado are the only writers, but it feels like they had several people write various subplots that were all mashed together. This could have easily been a PG-rated family film if it hadn't been for brief moments of unnecessary nudity and violence that don't serve any purpose. Aside from the unevenness of the whole film, the writing itself is pretty poor. Some of the dialogue is laughably awful and incredibly forced, most of which comes from Melonie Diaz and Method Man's characters. With that said, none of the dialogue is clever or good, but some of the more established actors such as Sandler and Steve Buscemi. There is a point where it seems like the film could take a route of having a message about the way a community interacts with one another, but nothing ever comes of it resulting in a rather predictable story in which the twist can be solved about halfway through.
Despite all of it's missteps, The Cobbler does have a few factors that keep it from being a complete disaster. Sandler himself does a decent job in the lead role. It's not a particularity memorable one despite going out of his comfort zone, but he fits the role and uses that to his advantage. Despite being wasted, the film does feature a great cast including Steve Buscemi, Dustin Hoffman, and Dan Stevens who while given little to do, are nice to see on screen. Even though the story itself is pretty predictable, I never found myself bored during the film's runtime. I'm not sure if it's because of how bizarrely awful some of it is, but the strangeness of the whole thing is enough to keep you amused just to see where it will end up next. Even though I didn't laugh once throughout the entire film, there are some occasional chuckle worthy moments such as a montage early on of Sandler discovering his new ability.
After a long string of bad comedies, I was really hoping The Cobbler would be a step back in the right director for Sandler. Unfortunately, it ends up being a bigger misstep for director Thomas McCarthy. There was potential for this to be something noteworthy for the two of them. Instead, it's cluttered mess of a film that's almost admirable in how bizarre it is. The Cobbler is no Jack & Jill by any means, but it certainly isn't going to do an favors for Sandler's career either.
I really have no clue what McCarthy was going for here. The film starts off as an old-fashioned comedy with some drama thrown in, but it eventually becomes jumbled in a bunch of subplots that involve saving the neighborhood a murder plot involving gangsters. Parts of it get a bit dark and surprisingly violent for a PG-13. It's a mix of a dramedy, fantasy comedy, and crime thriller that never mash together leading to the film having a major identity crisis.
I think some people are pinning it on Sandler being the problem here, but he is actually decent in his role. Although, I found it strange that they chose to show the other actors in the roles of the side characters when Sandler is "in their shoes". It would have been funnier and much more enjoyable if it had been done the other way around. Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman also appear briefly in the film, but neither of them are giving much to do.
The main reason why the film fails is because of it's script. As previously mentioned, the film is an uneven mess. McCarthy and Paul Sado are the only writers, but it feels like they had several people write various subplots that were all mashed together. This could have easily been a PG-rated family film if it hadn't been for brief moments of unnecessary nudity and violence that don't serve any purpose. Aside from the unevenness of the whole film, the writing itself is pretty poor. Some of the dialogue is laughably awful and incredibly forced, most of which comes from Melonie Diaz and Method Man's characters. With that said, none of the dialogue is clever or good, but some of the more established actors such as Sandler and Steve Buscemi. There is a point where it seems like the film could take a route of having a message about the way a community interacts with one another, but nothing ever comes of it resulting in a rather predictable story in which the twist can be solved about halfway through.
Despite all of it's missteps, The Cobbler does have a few factors that keep it from being a complete disaster. Sandler himself does a decent job in the lead role. It's not a particularity memorable one despite going out of his comfort zone, but he fits the role and uses that to his advantage. Despite being wasted, the film does feature a great cast including Steve Buscemi, Dustin Hoffman, and Dan Stevens who while given little to do, are nice to see on screen. Even though the story itself is pretty predictable, I never found myself bored during the film's runtime. I'm not sure if it's because of how bizarrely awful some of it is, but the strangeness of the whole thing is enough to keep you amused just to see where it will end up next. Even though I didn't laugh once throughout the entire film, there are some occasional chuckle worthy moments such as a montage early on of Sandler discovering his new ability.
After a long string of bad comedies, I was really hoping The Cobbler would be a step back in the right director for Sandler. Unfortunately, it ends up being a bigger misstep for director Thomas McCarthy. There was potential for this to be something noteworthy for the two of them. Instead, it's cluttered mess of a film that's almost admirable in how bizarre it is. The Cobbler is no Jack & Jill by any means, but it certainly isn't going to do an favors for Sandler's career either.