Rich in Heart
Mr. Deeds
Review by Ross Anthony

Mr. Deeds Here's a classic formula piece brought to life with a colorfully silly sense of humor, solid direction, beautiful cinematography, a grand sense of music, and strong acting.

The first third rolls perfectly, bringing Adam Sandler out of his Fargo like hometown into New York City and filling his empty pockets with billions of dollars. He's the proverbial fish out of water, singing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" with the pilots of their chartered copter, bouncing echoes off the mansion walls with the hired help, and of course, slapsticking it up with a Spanish John Turturro with some less than fancy footwork. That'll all have you in stitches. Big laughs, small laughs ... a real live roll.

And of course, what formula piece would forget a love story? Though cliché, the tale is still a sweet one. However, as the film continues, the love story becomes the front story. The production could have been strengthened by de-emphasizing it. For instance, show us what happens to the sports teams or how this good old boy would have run the media - if even for only a day. Instead, those story lines are cut short, as not to have the film overstay its welcome. Which in fact, it does not.

Very Funny. Very fuzzy and warm. Good hearted theme. I liked it.



  • Mr. Deeds. Copyright © 2002. Rated PG-13.
  • Starring Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari and John Turturro.
  • Directed by Steven Brill.
  • Screenplay by Tim Herlihy.
  • Produced by Sid Ganis, Jack Giarraputo at Happy Madison/Out of the Blue/Newline/Columbia.



Grade..........................A- (Strong)



Copyright © 2001. Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: RossAnthony.com


chili4 special olympians
power5 ra hforh radiop


Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 08:03:49 PDT