Plot: What’s it about?
The holidays have arrived once again, so everyone is in high spirits, or I should say, almost everyone. Davey Stone (voiced by Adam Sandler) has no intentions of changing his usual habits, which is bad new for his town. Stone is thirty-three years old, but acts as if he were a teen and gets into all kinds of trouble. As always, his mixture of booze, bad attitude, and too much spare time has landed him in the hands of the law. And this time, it looks as if the justice system has seen of him in the courts. Just when he is about to be hauled off to jail, a small man steps forward and asks for Stone to be turned over into his care. The man is Whitey (also voiced by Sandler), an old man who used to be a referee when Stone played basketball. But Whitey has been forced to retire because of his age, which he is displeased about. Of course, Stone sees this as a chance to get off without even a slap on the wrist, while Whitey sees it as a chance for his young friend to do some good and change his life. Stone starts right off with his old ways, but Whitey is determined and is sure there is a good side to his new friend. But as troublesome as Stone is, can even a kind soul such as Whitey manage to show him the light?
His films have made a splash, thanks to his oddball presence and weird characters, but could Adam Sandler’s style work in animation? Sandler’s earlier films were hilarious, but more recent ones have been a little rehashed, so I thought perhaps an animated feature could add new life to his kind of material. As it turns out, Eight Crazy Nights is a total disappointment in every respect, a missed opportunity to make a fun picture. Sandler’s voice talent is obvious, but he is used to much here and that diminishes his costars. If he had been used just for the central character, his presence wouldn’t have been so forced. As it stands, this seems like a project Sandler worked on his basement, instead of a major studio production. The lead character is typical Sandler, but even more mean and sadistic than usual, which makes it hard to relate. These holiday movies always seem to focus on a person’s return to the good side, but in this case, that is impossible to pull off. The writing is weak all around however, with few humorous lines and Sandler’s trademark offbeat style comes off as flat and tired in Eight Crazy Nights. Not to mention the lame animation, which looks like it was made for a second rate kid’s series. I have a hard time recommending this to anyone, but if you’re curious, a rental should be more than sufficient.
Video: How does it look?
Eight Crazy Nights is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full frame edition also included on this release. This is a top notch visual effort from Columbia, though the simple design of the animation lessens the fun. The print is clean and shows minimal hiccups, which means the visuals never suffer, even for a second. The vivid colors stream across the screen without flaw, which is good news, as this film has some rich hues. No troubles on the contrast side either, as blacks remain stark and well balanced throughout. In the end, we couldn’t ask for a better treatment, as Eight Crazy Nights looks superb.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is more than solid, but its a shame more attention wasn’t given to the basic sound design. This Dolby Digital 5.1 option has signs of life, but often falls into a predicable cycle of front channel presence. This is fine for the low impact elements, such as dialogue and minor sound effects, but more powerful effects and the music need more punch. Of course, in this case, some might argue the music needs as little punch as possible. The end result is passable, but this could have been a better, more active presentation. The vocals are still clean and clear, with no signs of errors and the music is loud & brash. In other words, this is a decent overall soundtrack, but it could have been better with more attention to detail. This release also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This two disc collection is loaded down with extras, including two, count ’em two audio commentary tracks. The first has some cast members present, who discuss the film in character and that makes for a decent session. In fact, this track is more fun than the movie itself, which confirms that a change in tone was in order. The second session is more technical in scope, but also proves to be a worthwhile listen. A selection of deleted scenes is up next, which can be viewed with or without audio comments. A total of nine featurettes are also includes here, which cover a wealth of topics, but are too brief to be that insightful. The featurettes and deleted scenes are found in various sections, specific to the topic they cover, such as characters or locations. This release also includes a two minute titled A Day with Meatball, footage from SNL of The Chanukah Song Part 3, and a weird television spot for the NBA.
