The Good: This is a pretty fun movie, I have to be honest.
What makes The Cobbler stand out from other Sandler flicks is that it takes a killer premise, but doesn't go the direction you'd expect it to. Within the first 15 minutes of the movie, there are at least four or five narrative strands the movie could've have pulled on...and it doesn't tug on any of them, really. Not until later, which means it's a movie that's very easy to get invested in. This film is far more (conceptually) like Flick than Spanglish, but it feels more like the latter than the former. (Btw, Flick is absolutely an argument for how a good premise can be completely ruined, whereas this is how a good premise can be done pretty well).
It's also more grounded in sentimentality and heart than a lot of Sandler schlock. He gives a pretty solid performance too. I don't know, I'm always rooting for the guy and even though I know he's probably a billionaire at this point, he still strikes me as a relatable dude. At least here. No one is particularly "great" in this movie, performance wise, but man, they're having fun.
Side note, the last scene had me in stitches. I don't know if was meant to, but I'll give it credit. If you were to tell me a fantasy comedy about a magic shoe stitching machine would end up being a superhero origin story, I wouldn't have believed you. But I'd also totally want to watch it. Thankfully, The Cobbler exists, so I don't have to wait any longer.
The Bad: The Cobbler's tone is a bit all over the place. Sometimes it wants to be a cute, thoughtful movie about family and sometimes...Sandler's character comes close to committing sex crimes. That sounds jarring, right?
The other big issue are the endless plot contrivances. Things just *happen* because the script says they do, even if they make no sense, are out of character, feel lazy and undeveloped. It's really the worst thing about this movie.
The Ugly: Like many comedies of the "pre-woke" era, this one has jokes and scenarios that straddle the line between playful and "cancel worthy" circa 2022, if you catch my drift. Just putting that out there.
What makes The Cobbler stand out from other Sandler flicks is that it takes a killer premise, but doesn't go the direction you'd expect it to. Within the first 15 minutes of the movie, there are at least four or five narrative strands the movie could've have pulled on...and it doesn't tug on any of them, really. Not until later, which means it's a movie that's very easy to get invested in. This film is far more (conceptually) like Flick than Spanglish, but it feels more like the latter than the former. (Btw, Flick is absolutely an argument for how a good premise can be completely ruined, whereas this is how a good premise can be done pretty well).
It's also more grounded in sentimentality and heart than a lot of Sandler schlock. He gives a pretty solid performance too. I don't know, I'm always rooting for the guy and even though I know he's probably a billionaire at this point, he still strikes me as a relatable dude. At least here. No one is particularly "great" in this movie, performance wise, but man, they're having fun.
Side note, the last scene had me in stitches. I don't know if was meant to, but I'll give it credit. If you were to tell me a fantasy comedy about a magic shoe stitching machine would end up being a superhero origin story, I wouldn't have believed you. But I'd also totally want to watch it. Thankfully, The Cobbler exists, so I don't have to wait any longer.
The Bad: The Cobbler's tone is a bit all over the place. Sometimes it wants to be a cute, thoughtful movie about family and sometimes...Sandler's character comes close to committing sex crimes. That sounds jarring, right?
The other big issue are the endless plot contrivances. Things just *happen* because the script says they do, even if they make no sense, are out of character, feel lazy and undeveloped. It's really the worst thing about this movie.
The Ugly: Like many comedies of the "pre-woke" era, this one has jokes and scenarios that straddle the line between playful and "cancel worthy" circa 2022, if you catch my drift. Just putting that out there.