Mr. Deeds

I've never seen a remake do anything as stomach-turning as this Adam Sandler vehicle, which rapes, pillages and incinerates Frank Capra's classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Punctuated with elementary dialogue and the worst kind of feel-good muzak score, it doesn't contain a single sincere moment, any performance that would pass muster in an elementary school play, or even very many scenes without glaring continuity problems (different takes within the same conversations don't even sync up). As in Capra's very funny and heartfelt hallmark, the story is about an idealistic small-town schnook named Longfellow Deeds (Sandler), who inherits a fortune from a distant uncle and is swept away to New York City. In the cold Big Apple, a tabloid reporter (Winona Ryder) trying to railroad him into splashy front-page behavior eventually falls in love with Deeds. In the 1936 film, Deeds gives his inheritance away to help those struggling through the Great Depression. Sandler's seat-squirmingly ham-fisted character has no such noble intentions: he just wants to prevent the greedy board of his uncle's media empire from holding a fire sale after they get him out of the way. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Steven Brill and writer Tim Herlihy; six deleted scenes (including a bizarre one with Steve Buscemi and a slice of pizza); and three featurettes: the 18-minute production piece "From Mandrake Falls to Manhattan," "Spare No Expense" (on opulent sets and locations) and "Clothes Make the Man" (on costuming), each running about six minutes. Also included are the Dave Matthews Band music video "Where Are You Going," a two-minute outtakes reel, filmographies, and six silly "greeting cards." Bottom line: a sizable extras package for a diminutive film.] (R. Blackwelder)