I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie, considering how much I've started to hate Adam Sandler over the past few years. The last watchable movie he made (in my opinion) was Click and since then, everything he's written, directed and/or produced was annoying and just pure garbage. The Cobbler is simply proof that when Sandler takes the backseat in the writing and production department, magic can happen.
The Cobbler is listed as a comedy but Sandler's character, Max Simkin, is a fairly serious guy. Bored by his humdrum life as a small-time business owner and as a tradesman, Max Simkin is understandably unenthusiastic about anything. The one thing that keeps him doing what he does is his devotion to his elderly mother who depends on him and Sandler played this side of his character beautifully. Then comes that fateful day when he discovers the magic behind the old shoe stitching machine his father left him and soon, Max rediscovers happiness and excitement in his daily life, from just being able to step into someone else's shoes and be another person for just a day. Of course, in typical fashion, he makes some tactical mistakes and triggers an avalanche of nasty events while pretending to be someone else.
It's nice to see Sandler make a rebound from the horrible movies he's been doing these past few years and tone down the craziness into something pleasant to watch. While this movie wasn't particularly spectacular, it is quite memorable and the plot is engaging enough to keep you interested in seeing what happens at the end.
-SPOILER- I was pleasantly surprised at the plot twist regarding Jimmy's true identity and was wondering how I had not seen it coming until the big reveal was a few seconds away. I guess it's safe to say that Max's (mis)adventures drew me in and distracted me from the obvious, which is great. Looking back, I appreciated how they gave Jimmy just enough screen time to solidify his position as a character that's central to Max's world, but not so much as to raise suspicion and give the secret away before it was time.
While all was well and good, what the movie lacked was a bit of direction, in the sense that there wasn't much history or explanation given about how Max's family and the other tradesmen's families came to acquire their unique 'gifts'. A little clarity on this aspect would have gone a long way and would have added a lot more depth to the characters.
The Cobbler is listed as a comedy but Sandler's character, Max Simkin, is a fairly serious guy. Bored by his humdrum life as a small-time business owner and as a tradesman, Max Simkin is understandably unenthusiastic about anything. The one thing that keeps him doing what he does is his devotion to his elderly mother who depends on him and Sandler played this side of his character beautifully. Then comes that fateful day when he discovers the magic behind the old shoe stitching machine his father left him and soon, Max rediscovers happiness and excitement in his daily life, from just being able to step into someone else's shoes and be another person for just a day. Of course, in typical fashion, he makes some tactical mistakes and triggers an avalanche of nasty events while pretending to be someone else.
It's nice to see Sandler make a rebound from the horrible movies he's been doing these past few years and tone down the craziness into something pleasant to watch. While this movie wasn't particularly spectacular, it is quite memorable and the plot is engaging enough to keep you interested in seeing what happens at the end.
-SPOILER- I was pleasantly surprised at the plot twist regarding Jimmy's true identity and was wondering how I had not seen it coming until the big reveal was a few seconds away. I guess it's safe to say that Max's (mis)adventures drew me in and distracted me from the obvious, which is great. Looking back, I appreciated how they gave Jimmy just enough screen time to solidify his position as a character that's central to Max's world, but not so much as to raise suspicion and give the secret away before it was time.
While all was well and good, what the movie lacked was a bit of direction, in the sense that there wasn't much history or explanation given about how Max's family and the other tradesmen's families came to acquire their unique 'gifts'. A little clarity on this aspect would have gone a long way and would have added a lot more depth to the characters.