'Nicky' boasts little originality

By Michael Watanabe
Daily Forty-Niner

"Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," and "The Waterboy" have three things in common: Adam Sandler, predictable plots, and forgettable laughs. "Little Nicky" is no different.

"Little Nicky" follows the story of Nicky (Adam Sandler), the timid, meek son of Satan. After Satan (Harvey Kietel) decides to postpone his retirement, Nicky's brothers, Adrian (Rhys Ifans of "Notting Hill") and Cassisus (Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr.) decide to create their own hell on Earth.

In doing so, the gates of hell freeze and Satan begins to literally fall apart. Nicky is sent to Earth to capture his brothers and save his dad.

"Nicky" had plenty of laughs throughout the movie but had early periods of drought to help build plot. Though all movies need periods of plot building, many great comedies do this without sacrificing laughs. Plus, many of the jokes throughout the movie didn't work. It was clear where some jokes were going, but they still fell flat.
Also, missing the mark of many great comedies, are scenes of reminiscing ? scenes that can be recalled, then laughed upon time and time again.

There were many cameos throughout the movie, such as Rodney Dangerfield, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz and Reese Witherspoon.  These actors matched their roles perfectly.

For instance, Dangerfield plays Satan's father who gets no respect and Carvey takes the role of a psycho referee.  Lovitz plays the part of a horny stalker in the opener and Witherspoon portrays the shining innocence to play Nicky's mother.

Besides each of these special appearances, there were appearances by characters that had appeared in other Sandler movies. Rob Schneider returns as the "You can do it!" townie. Carl Weathers has a walk-on part as Chubbs, the golf pro in "Happy Gilmore."

This movie was a rare comedy, in that it utilized special effects throughout the movie. Some of the effects worked well, such as Beefy, Nicky's guardian canine on Earth. The technology allowed the dog to speak, allowing him to come alive and providing the dog with personality. There were other effects that weren't up to par, though, such as the fire spewing from Nicky's mouth in the advertisements.

"Little Nicky" also stars Kevin Nealon, Patricia Arquette and Allen Covert.

New Line Cinema

Patricia Arquette, left, and Adam Sandler star in "Little Nicky," which opens in theaters Friday.