Pixels
Yesterday, before I went to see a sneak preview of Pixels, I
sincerely spent several minutes debating with a friend at work whether or not
Adam Sandler’s films were worth watching anymore. I took what seems to have
become the unpopular side of the argument that, yes, Sandler’s films are still
worthwhile. I don’t deny the awfulness of several of the more recent arguments
made in the form of Grown Ups 2, Jack and Jill and Zookeeper.
My counter to the anti-Sandler crowd is usually in the form
of a few films I hold dear in Click, the Wedding Singer, Punch-Drunk Love and
the slew of silliness in the 90’s ranging from the broad characters on SNL to
Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, et. al.. That’s the past they say. Fair enough, I
say. But Pixels is a film based on the past – an area Sandler should do well
in, as he did in the somewhat charming Grown Ups (the first).
The set up for Pixels is great – it’s Wreck it Ralph meets
Ghostbusters with a healthy dose of the epic documentary King of Kong (go see
it now if you haven’t). A 1982 video time capsule Fun nostalgia for Gen-Xers,
with an over the top element of delight in seeing these old 80’s games bigger
than life for kids (including my six year old son who couldn’t wait to see it).
The terribly sad thing about the film is how little the
filmmakers and Sandler seem to care. It’s just lazy writing and on-screen
performance by Sandler in a role that seems tailor-made for him. On a plus side, the effects are spectacular and fun. There are some fun lines and moments. Josh Gad could become a very enjoyable actor in the right role with the right director - his energy is spectacular. Peter Dinklage is a lot of fun. Kevin James is, sadly, once again, rather forgettable. I've seen enough of his work, too, to believe that it's more about the material than his ability (though he's not helping himself with the Blart series).
While I’m not ready to sing the death march on Sandler as a screen presence, this effort was damnable. If he can’t knock what should have been obvious fastball out of the park anymore, maybe his bat speed has gotten too slow or worse: maybe he just doesn’t care.
Resonance Rating: 1 out of 5
Sadly I'm sure your review is excellent. If I could take something positive from this it would be that it makes it all the more admirable when someone is able to maintain a high level of originality and excellence over a long period of time. Sandler has stayed active and hasn't taken any sabbaticals, and that is impressive (it seems like most people who stay funny and relevant over a long period of time tend to do this ). Maybe he should.
ReplyDeleteSadly I'm sure your review is excellent. If I could take something positive from this it would be that it makes it all the more admirable when someone is able to maintain a high level of originality and excellence over a long period of time. Sandler has stayed active and hasn't taken any sabbaticals, and that is impressive (it seems like most people who stay funny and relevant over a long period of time tend to do this ). Maybe he should.
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