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Mr. Deeds Disappointing remake of Frank Capra's classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. People should know better in the first place than to remake Frank Capra--his kind of cornball folksy humor doesn't fly today, and it doesn't mix well with more modern laughs. This film does try to mix the two, giving us the sweet eccentricies of a young man who's never left Mandrake Falls and writes horrible greeting card rhymes next to gross-out jokes about his non-feeling frost-bitten foot. Taken on its own, perhaps the film isn't that bad--it has a good story, and Adam Sandler is one of the more versatile young comedians out there today. Winona Ryder is a winsome young reporter, but for someone whose job it is to write the news (okay, she's a producer, but she sure acts like a reporter--in the original she is a reporter...), she is a terrible liar, and it's amazing that even Deeds would believe her stories. But remakes cannot be taken on their own. They invite comparison with the original. And, though I hoped well for this one based on feedback from others, it does not begin to match the charm and beauty of Capra's sweet fairytale, despite following the plot remarkably closely, at least until the end, which is entirely different. The VERY end of Mr. Deeds is not worth keeping a secret, but for the sake of integrity, I won't reveal it. Nevertheless, I will say that it is contrived, tacked-on, incredible, ludicrous, and completely ruined the ounce of goodness in the rest of the film. The character parts that were played so charmingly by Capra's stock company in his film are here portrayed by over-the-top celebrities making short cameos: Steve Buscemi's and Rob Schneider's are the most noticeable, and the most distracting. Overall, the film was mean-spirited and stooped to low humor and easy laughs rather than relying on the lovely and real quiet humor inherent in the story. **1/2 out of **** a second opinion: I too have watched both the original and the re-make. I have to say I liked the re-make more. It had more of a modern feel, ovbiously...I was more familiar with the style of comedy used in the re-make, and honestly I found the original a little boring. Don't get me wrong, I love old films, and I did like the origional verson, but I think a more modern audience would appreciate the re-make better. - S Cain I would give the re-make Mr. Deeds *** out of
**** Page last updated 9/30/04. |
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