Mr. Deeds

Released Year: 2002
Directed by Steven Brill

Casted by:
Adam Sandler as Longfellow Deeds
Winona Ryder as Babe Bennett alias Pam Dawson
Story:

Preston Blake started out in his career hoping to be a disc jockey as a young man, slowly working his way up through the ranks to found Blake Media, a corporation running hundreds of television and radio stations and with 50 thousand employees. After Blake freezes to death at the summit of Mount Everest with a triumphant smile on his face, a search for his heir begins.

When it is found that he has a living nephew named Longfellow Deeds who runs a pizzeria in New Hampshire, Deeds is contacted and brought to New York City by attorney & businessman Chuck Cedar. Plans are made for Deeds to sell his shares in the company to Cedar and return home $40 billion richer, but he must remain in New York for a few days as all the legal details are worked out.

The story is major news, and reporter Babe Bennett, who works for a tabloid show called Inside Access, has a friend pretend to steal her purse in sight of Deeds, because their research indicated Deeds wanted to meet a girl by saving her, the same way his father had met his mother. Deeds rescues her (as well as mercilessly beating her "robber") and she continues to go out with him under the disguise of Pam Dawson, a school nurse from Winchestertonfieldville, Iowa (a town she made up on the spot when asked where she was from, which later turns out to be a real place (Syosset, New York).

Though Pam initially hopes to just get a good story on the new heir, she eventually falls for the unfailingly kind-hearted Deeds, and decides to tell him that she's not who she says she is, but Inside Access, in concert with Cedar (fed the truth by the "robber", still suffering from the effects of Deeds "saving" Bennett) reveals it to Deeds first. Heartbroken, and upset, Deeds decides to return home to Mandrake Falls after giving $40 Billion of his money he inherits to the United Negro College Fund (much to the surprise of the chairman, who has a heart attack). After returning to Mandrake Falls, he learns from Crazy Eyes that Chuck Cedar intends to sell off the company, which will cause thousands of people to lose their jobs. Babe visits Deeds in Mandrake Falls and tries to win him back. He rejects her saying he doesn't really know who she is.

At a shareholders meeting, Cedar has everyone convinced to sell the company, until Deeds (who has bought a single share) arrives and manages to convince everyone to not sell. But Cedar has control of a majority of the shares and the sale is approved. Babe arrives, and reveals that Blake's butler, Emilio (John Turturro), is Preston Blake's illegitimate son (at one point he had told Deeds that Blake treated him "like a son"), and the true heir.

As a result, Deeds' sale of his shares to Cedar is not legal. Emilio immediately takes control and fires Cedar, as well as the entire top brass at the company, with the exception of Cecil Anderson , a good-hearted executive who had befriended Deeds (when he asks to remain, Emilio leaves the decision to Deeds, who quickly says yes). Babe reveals herself to Deeds and apologizes for tricking him, and they reconcile and Deeds falls in love again. As they're leaving, Emilio thanks Deeds for his support and asks how he can repay him. Deeds says that all he wants is his friendship. Emilio ends up giving Deeds a billion dollars, some of which Deeds spends on Corvettes for the entire town, and he returns to Mandrake Falls with his new wife Babe, where he learns that Hallmark Cards has bought one of his cards, the one he wrote for Babe.

The film includes several references to the novel (or its resultant movie) To Kill a Mockingbird. For example, Pam Dawson invents a story about falling out of old Boo Radley's apple tree and breaking her arm. Dawson also greets a woman as "Mrs. Finch" and her dog as "Atticus"; Atticus Finch was the father of Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. Dawson also claims to become sexually excited by fire, which may be a reference to the burning of Ms. Maudie's house in the novel.

L² Scored: 2/10

L² Comment:

Sorry to say that, i don't really like this film. Though Adam Sandler has been always be my favorite comedian, but this movie is so boring and predictable. The funny point is a bit lame and not exaggerate much enough to create any laughter for me. And... Ms Ryder, u look like a mess in this movie :(

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Released Year: 2008
Directed by Dennis Dugan

Casted by:
Adam Sandler as Zohan Dvir
Emmanuelle Chriqui as Dalia Hakbarah
Rob Schneider as Salim the taxi driver
John Turturro as Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah
Nick Swardson as Michael
Lainie Kazan as Gail
Ido Mosseri as Oori
Story:

Zohan Dvir is a superhuman but kind-hearted Israeli counter terrorist and the finest and most respected soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. However, Zohan has become bored and sickened by the constant fighting, secretly dreaming of moving to the USA and becoming a hairdresser. Zohan goes on a mission to stop a Palestinian terrorist group being led by his personal arch-enemy, Fatoush "the Phantom" Hakbarah. During the pursuit he fakes his own death, and smuggles himself onto a flight to New York City, cutting his own hair and takes the alias "Scrappy Coco" (the names of two dogs he shared the flight with) while claiming that he is "Half Australian, Half Mount Everest." Meanwhile the Phantom becomes incredibly rich and famous for supposedly killing Zohan, gaining his own fast food business.

Initially unsuccessful in getting hired at several salons, Zohan's military expertise earns him a new friend, Michael, who gives him a place to stay. However, Michael starts to freak out when he finds Zohan having sex with his mother. Zohan encounters a fellow Israeli named Oori at a disco; he recognizes Zohan but agrees to keep his identity a secret. Oori takes him to a block in lower Manhattan filled with Middle Eastern Americans, who are split between a Palestinian side and an Israeli side of the street. Zohan attempts to land a job in a struggling salon of a Palestinian woman named Dalia. After first only allowing Zohan to sweep floors for free, she eventually allows him to be a stylist after he pleases a senior lady with a satisfactory haircut and back room sexual service. Zohan's reputation spreads instantly among the elderly women of lower Manhattan. Dalia's business booms, upsetting Grant Walbridge, a corporate magnate who has been trying to force out all the local tenants on the block so that he can build a mall.

Zohan is identified by a Palestinian cab driver named Salim, who bears a grudge against Zohan for taking his goat away. Salim convinces his friends to help him kill Zohan, but he is forced after a failed bomb attempt to contact Phantom. Salim attempts to blackmail Phantom, but he ends up getting the stiff end of the deal as he convinces Phantom to visit New York to find Zohan. Meanwhile, Zohan realizes that he has fallen in love with Dalia, and comes clean to Michael and his mother about his true identity, before meeting Dalia. Dalia rejects Zohan after he reveals he was formerly an Israeli counter-terrorist operative. Zohan decides to leave Dalia and confront Phantom in a championship Hacky Sack game sponsored by Walbridge. Zohan's fight is cut short with sudden news of the Middle Eastern block being attacked, and he quickly leaves.

Zohan arrives and calms the Israelis and Palestinians, who each blame the other for the violence, while making peace with Salim. Phantom then appears and confronts Zohan, but Zohan refuses to fight. Dalia appears, revealing that she is Phantom's sister, and convinces her brother to cooperate with Zohan against the arsonists, revealed to be white racist rednecks hired by Walbridge to instigate an inter-ethnic riot so he can get his new mall in the aftermath. As Zohan and Phantom work to save the block, the latter admits that he always wanted to be a shoe salesman rather than a terrorist. Although the rednecks are defeated and Walbridge sent to jail, Phantom accidentally destroys all of the shops on the block. However, with the Israelis and the Palestinians united, the block is transformed into a collectively owned mall called the Peace and Brotherhood Fire Insurance Mall. Phantom opens a shoe store in the mall, Salim gets a new goat which he gives children rides on, and Zohan and Dalia open a joint beauty parlor, Zohan having married Dalia. Zohan's parents show up approving his new life before asking that he cut their hair, which he happily does.

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

I have a very good laugh no matter how many times i watch this movie. Adam Sandler is so good in all these comedies. The whole movie is a bit over, but this is a comedy, we can't expect it to be too logic, right? Emmanuel is such a hottie and i really hope to see more movie of hers.

Another credit of this movie is that Sandler show us his butt, though its not very yummy, but yeah~ for a comedian, he doesn't need to do that. So not bad :) But Mariah Carey's appearance is so horrible, she looks fat and ugly~ ewww !!!