Archive for the ‘Adam Sandler’ Category

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News: Steve Buscemi

February 9, 2007

Everyone loves Steve Buscemi, one of the oddest-looking and quirkiest character actors in Hollywood, and he’s ideally cast as the voice of a rat in this week’s Charlotte’s Web. Hey, everyone’s got to pay the bills, right?

Next up it’s a return to directing for Buscemi – who’s put in some impressive, low-key efforts with his directorial efforts to date – for Interview. This time he actually could have hit on something that’s not only interesting for its own sake, as his indy-tinged outings have all been to date, but could also have the potential to make some money. Buscemi himself stars as a fading political journalist, forced to go and interview the hottest soap star of the moment – played by our very own rising starlet Sienna Miller (who looks all set to do a post-Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman and prove amply to the world that she’s not just the bit of stuff on the arm of a pretty-boy actor). It’s just played at Sundance, and is getting rave reviews so far.

Then its back to his usual small part in Adam Sandler’s latest, I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry (Buscemi’s been in six Sandler films to date, and has generally been the best thing in all of them), before getting to take the lead for a change in stoner comedy We’re The Millers, as an aging pot dealer who decides that all he needs for his last big score is a pretend wife and kids and a motor home. Finally, he’ll be once again lending his distinctive voice to a somewhat ugly character in the animation Igor – although oddly not the hunchback assistant to John Cleese’s mad professor of the title, as that part’s being taken on by the somewhat less vocally dextrous Christian Slater. But still, might be fun, and is due at some point in 2008.

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News: Kevin James

October 20, 2006

The voice of Otis the Cow in this week’s Barnyard may remain best-known for his TV work in the lead on US sitcom The King of Queens, but after starring alongside Adam Sandler in next year’s I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, all that could change. James and Sandler play two Philadelphia firement who decide to pretend to be gay to qualify for couples allowance and, with a cast that includes Dan Ackroyd, Steve Buscemi, Jessica Biel and living legend Richard Chamberlain (one of the few big-names of movieland to have publicly outed himself), it could well prove a hit.

Three more projects have also recently been announced where James finally gets the big screen lead: Field Trip, where he’ll play a substitute teacher with an unruly class; Monster Hunter, where he’ll play a shildpsychologist who gets rid of monsters under the bed; and Man in Uniform, where he’ll – erm – play a man who dresses up as a policeman for some reason, no doubt with hilarious consequences… Still, looks like this is a comedian on the up.

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Review: Click

September 29, 2006

UK release: 29th September 2006

Adam Sandler reteams with director Frank Coraci (The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer) in this high-concept comedy that’s undermined by a queasy sentimentality. Sandler plays a workaholic architect who acquires what he thinks will be the solution to all his problems — a universal remote control that allows him to literally fast-forward his way through things that peeve him. But he soon realises that skipping life’s little obstacles means he misses out on a lot more, too.

This is Sandler at his least likeable, and the starry supporting cast struggle to make much headway: David Hasselhoff has fun as his nasty boss but Christopher Walken is on wacky autopilot as a mysterious boffin, while Kate Beckinsale is wasted as Sandler’s long-suffering wife.

Radio Times rating:

**

UK cinema certificate 12A
Running time 107mins

Review by John Ferguson