Adam
Sandler isn’t exactly the person one would expect to find in a Frank
Capra movie, but then again this MR. DEEDS ($28) isn’t exactly a
Capra-esque comedy. This modern take of Capra’s MR. DEEDS GOES TO
TOWN has been fine-tuned for Sandler’s type of comedy, but retains
some of the heart contained in the Capra original. MR. DEEDS is
best described as another one of those Adam Sandler crossover movies that
is striving for a more mainstream audience. However, unlike Sandler’s
previous attempt, BIG DADDY, I found that MR. DEEDS proves
to be far more successful in making that leap, without alienating
audiences of his earlier films.
In
MR. DEEDS Sandler portrays Longfellow Deeds, a pizza parlor owner
from a small New Hampshire town who aspires to write greeting cards for
Hallmark. Deeds small town existence is radically changed when he learns
that he is the sole heir to a distant uncle’s forty billion dollar media
empire. After being whisked off to New York City, Deeds is manipulated
into selling his shares in the media conglomerate to Chuck Cedar (Peter
Gallagher), who needs Deeds controlling interest to sell off the
corporation's assets for even more money. Added to the mix is beautiful
tabloid TV show producer Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder), who lulls Deeds into
a romantic entanglement, just so her boss can make him look like an
unsophisticated rube on TV. The cast of MR. DEEDS also includes the
wonderful John Turturro, as well as Steve Buscemi, Jared Harris, Allen
Covert, Conchata Ferrell, Roark Critchlow, Peter Dante, J.B. Smoove, Erick
Avari and Harve Presnell.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made MR. DEEDS available on DVD in a
1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This is a really great looking transfer, which comes as
no surprise since MR. DEEDS is a brand new studio "A"
production just coming off of theatrical release. The image on the DVD is
bright, sharp, well defined and very attractive. Colors are quite vibrant,
while flesh tones maintain a natural and very appealing appearance.
Neither chroma noise nor smearing is present to mar the fine color
reproduction of this presentation. Blacks are suitably inky, whites are
clean and contrast is very smooth. Additionally, the picture produces a
very nice level of shadow detail. Clean dual layer authoring keeps digital
compression artifacts very well concealed.
MR.
DEEDS features a very nice sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack. This is a better than average comedy mix, nothing flashy, but
cleanly implemented with a nice sonic presence. The forward soundstage
carries most of the sound effects, with the rears seeing a bit of action,
but mostly providing ambience and musical fill. Dialogue is very cleanly
render and is always completely understandable. Music is rendered with
excellent fidelity and always sounds very pleasing. The bass channel doesn’t
have too much to do, other than reinforce a few sound effects and pump up
the music just a bit. A French language track is also encoded onto the
DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's amusing
interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as the DVD supplements. Director
Steven Brill and screenwriter Tim Herlihy are on hand for a running audio
commentary that should amuse fans. Six deleted scenes are included on the
DVD, and all but the one involving a pizza delivery to Steve Buscemi’s
character belonged on the cutting room floor. Heck, it was the only one of
the bunch that made me laugh.
Also
included on the DVD are three featurettes. From Mandrake Falls To
Manhattan runs eighteen minutes and proves to be a better than
average making of featurette, which includes a look at Frank Capra’s MR.
DEEDS GOES TO TOWN and how this version of the story differs. Spare
No Expense clocks in at a little over six minutes and provides a
glimpse at the film’s production design and how the filmmakers conveyed
the wealth of the title character. Clothes Make The Man runs
another six minutes and looks at the film’s costume design. A music
video for the song Where are you Going by the Dave Matthews
Band is also included, as are animated versions of Deeds' Greeting Cards.
Closing out the supplements is an Outtakes Reel and
theatrical trailers for MR. DEEDS, 8 CRAZY NIGHTS, MASTER
OF DISGUISE, MEN IN BLACK II and I SPY.
MR.
DEEDS is a very amusing Adam
Sandler outing with a bit more charm and more restraint than was displayed
in her earlier films. Columbia TriStar’s wide screen DVD edition looks
and sound great, which combined with the nice supplemental section, makes
this a disc that both his old and new fans will want to check out.
Adam
Sandler isn’t exactly the person one would expect to find in a Frank
Capra movie, but then again this MR. DEEDS ($28) isn’t exactly a
Capra-esque comedy. This modern take of Capra’s MR. DEEDS GOES TO
TOWN has been fine-tuned for Sandler’s type of comedy, but retains
some of the heart contained in the Capra original. MR. DEEDS is
best described as another one of those Adam Sandler crossover movies that
is striving for a more mainstream audience. However, unlike Sandler’s
previous attempt, BIG DADDY, I found that MR. DEEDS proves
to be far more successful in making that leap, without alienating
audiences of his earlier films.
In
MR. DEEDS Sandler portrays Longfellow Deeds, a pizza parlor owner
from a small New Hampshire town who aspires to write greeting cards for
Hallmark. Deeds small town existence is radically changed when he learns
that he is the sole heir to a distant uncle’s forty billion dollar media
empire. After being whisked off to New York City, Deeds is manipulated
into selling his shares in the media conglomerate to Chuck Cedar (Peter
Gallagher), who needs Deeds controlling interest to sell off the
corporation's assets for even more money. Added to the mix is beautiful
tabloid TV show producer Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder), who lulls Deeds into
a romantic entanglement, just so her boss can make him look like an
unsophisticated rube on TV. The cast of MR. DEEDS also includes the
wonderful John Turturro, as well as Steve Buscemi, Jared Harris, Allen
Covert, Conchata Ferrell, Roark Critchlow, Peter Dante, J.B. Smoove, Erick
Avari and Harve Presnell.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made MR. DEEDS available on DVD in a
1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This is a really great looking transfer, which comes as
no surprise since MR. DEEDS is a brand new studio "A"
production just coming off of theatrical release. The image on the DVD is
bright, sharp, well defined and very attractive. Colors are quite vibrant,
while flesh tones maintain a natural and very appealing appearance.
Neither chroma noise nor smearing is present to mar the fine color
reproduction of this presentation. Blacks are suitably inky, whites are
clean and contrast is very smooth. Additionally, the picture produces a
very nice level of shadow detail. Clean dual layer authoring keeps digital
compression artifacts very well concealed.
MR.
DEEDS features a very nice sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack. This is a better than average comedy mix, nothing flashy, but
cleanly implemented with a nice sonic presence. The forward soundstage
carries most of the sound effects, with the rears seeing a bit of action,
but mostly providing ambience and musical fill. Dialogue is very cleanly
render and is always completely understandable. Music is rendered with
excellent fidelity and always sounds very pleasing. The bass channel doesn’t
have too much to do, other than reinforce a few sound effects and pump up
the music just a bit. A French language track is also encoded onto the
DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's amusing
interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as the DVD supplements. Director
Steven Brill and screenwriter Tim Herlihy are on hand for a running audio
commentary that should amuse fans. Six deleted scenes are included on the
DVD, and all but the one involving a pizza delivery to Steve Buscemi’s
character belonged on the cutting room floor. Heck, it was the only one of
the bunch that made me laugh.
Also
included on the DVD are three featurettes. From Mandrake Falls To
Manhattan runs eighteen minutes and proves to be a better than
average making of featurette, which includes a look at Frank Capra’s MR.
DEEDS GOES TO TOWN and how this version of the story differs. Spare
No Expense clocks in at a little over six minutes and provides a
glimpse at the film’s production design and how the filmmakers conveyed
the wealth of the title character. Clothes Make The Man runs
another six minutes and looks at the film’s costume design. A music
video for the song Where are you Going by the Dave Matthews
Band is also included, as are animated versions of Deeds' Greeting Cards.
Closing out the supplements is an Outtakes Reel and
theatrical trailers for MR. DEEDS, 8 CRAZY NIGHTS, MASTER
OF DISGUISE, MEN IN BLACK II and I SPY.
MR.
DEEDS is a very amusing Adam
Sandler outing with a bit more charm and more restraint than was displayed
in her earlier films. Columbia TriStar’s wide screen DVD edition looks
and sound great, which combined with the nice supplemental section, makes
this a disc that both his old and new fans will want to check out.
