Sandler’s Latest: Eight Crazy Nights

It would be too easy to say that he’s animated enough without the cartoon treatment, but animation does justice to Adam Sandler. The comic formerly known as Opera Man and Nicky can be found on the big screen as a cartoon in Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, the title of which was inspired by his wildly popular tune “The Hanukah Song.” The star and format are perfect for this film that aims to be a warm and fuzzy holiday movie with a good share of quills underneath.

In Eight Crazy Nights, Sandler does the voice of Davey, a cynical, violent-tempered alcoholic whose repeated acts of civil disobedience lead to a judge wanting to put him away. His salvation comes in the form of Whitey (also voiced by Sandler), a small, old man who thinks he can reform the lout by having him coach at a youth basketball program. Davey spends the movie turning from an anti-social mess to something resembling a kind human being.

On the surface, Eight Crazy Nights is a cheery holiday movie about the spirit of humanity. There are plenty of themes of the warmth of human kindness, especially in Davey’s transformation through the influence of Whitey and the young son of an old girlfriend. The film has a Disney quality to it in its animation style, use of cuddly animals and characters that look more like human caricatures, plenty of diabetically sweet romantic moments between Davey and said girlfriend, and the periodic use of catchy little tunes. The cute aspects of the film become nauseating after a while, but the surface cuteness gives way to a proliferation of sick humor underneath.

Despite the overall grossness of watching deer lick a Port-a-Potty full of human waste off an old man and seeing a person chew on a jock strap, the underlying cynicism was the perfect answer to the orchestrated cuteness. Highlights of this include Whitey’s sister (Sandler performance number three), who resembles a gerbil, but likes to beat up anyone who makes fun of her, and the logos from actual stores that form a chorus line in a mall. It takes the safe hot chocolate of traditional holiday movies and adds a half a cup of wasabe for extra flavor. It might sting a little on the first sip, but it puts a well-needed punch in a sacred, cultural favorite. The combination of cuteness and grossness balance each other perfectly. Each side contains the right amount of wit that flows at a quick pace and doesn’t drag at all.