Mr. Deeds (2002)

Admittedly I haven’t seen many Adam Sander movies, but if “Mr. Deeds” is any indication of the caliber of his comedic work, I think I’ll pass. It’s hard to tell what’s worse here: Is it the jarringly amateurish editing, which is easily some of the worst I’ve seen in a major movie? Is it the sloppy direction, filled with inexplicable camera angles and jarring transitions? Is it the movie wasting Winona Ryder and John Turturro’s comedic talents in thankless, unflattering roles? Or perhaps it’s Sandler’s aggressively lazy performance that sets the “who cares” tone that everyone but Ryder and Turturro subscribes to. In any case, the movie is unpleasant and gratingly unfunny, and there’s just no reason to watch this.

Rating: ★ (out of 5)