Eight Crazy Nights *** (2002, voice of Adam Sandler) – Classic Movie Review 1607

Anyone for Adam Sandler in a rude, weird but compelling cartoon that both mocks and celebrates the holiday season? Eight Crazy Nights is welcome as a change of scene in the movies, as it’s alive with Jewish characters at holiday time and takes place during the Hanukkah season, unlike most mainstream holiday films that of course show only the Christian or secular celebration of Christmas.

In director Seth Kearsley’s 2002 animation, Sandler takes his first voice-acting role and provides the voice of Davey Stone, an alcoholic, fat, burnt-out basketball ace, given a last chance by a judge if he helps a sweet old guy, Whitey, to run a kids’ team. Davey is sentenced to community service under the supervision of the elderly referee. So Davey must put his criminal record behind him, reform and dump his wicked ways.

Eight Crazy Nights is well designed and the characters are nicely drawn, the songs are fun, there are quite a few laughs and as many tears, and you can’t help admiring Sandler’s shameless cheek, brio and bravado. Despite being animated to look like it’s in the style of an average Christmas TV special, this rather brave film certainly gets marks for originality, as it is boldly grown-up, motoring on adult-oriented sexual and toilet humour, and dealing with decidedly non-kids’ topics such as alcoholism, bereavement and depression. Ah well, that’s cheery, then, so it’s a good job there’s plenty of humour too.

The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah is the Eight Crazy Nights of the title, taken from a line in Sandler’s series of songs called The Chanukah Song that compares the gift-giving traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah: ‘Instead of one day of presents, we get eight crazy nights!’ A new version of The Chanukah Song plays over the closing credits.

In a labour of love, Sandler voices Whitey, Davey, Eleanore (Whitey’s fraternal twin sister) and Deer, co-produces for his Happy Madison company, co-writes the screenplay and writes the songs. Other voices are by Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Norm Crosby, Jon Lovitz and Tyra Banks.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1607

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