Little Nicky

Directed by Steven Brill
Starring: Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr., and the voice of Robert Smigel.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual humor, some drug content, language and thematic material.

Review by Lauren Snyder <lauren@filmhead.com>
November 13, 2000

You know an actor's hit it big when other actors want to do cameos in the actor's movie. According to that theory, there are a lot of film personalities who think an awful lot of Adam Sandler.

By now, you've heard the story before... his big successes... his cult-like following among the young male population... and all of that buzz makes you wonder, is he playing in the Comedy Star Big Leagues? Box office numbers would say "yes". His choice of material of late would say "no".

But then there's Little Nicky. This movie is fairly well-constructed, features an intriguing storyline, arresting visuals, and boasts some fantastic performances by Rhys Ifans as his brother Adrian, Harvey Keitel as Big Daddy Satan himself, and Patricia Arquette as Valerie, the geeky charmer that Nicky falls for. Plus, the aforementioned barrage of cameos is so "80's screwball comedy"!

In fact, the only thing that this movie lacks is a stronger center. Adam Sandler's Nicky isn't quite likeable and isn't quite despicable -- he's not even a good blend of both (à la Happy Gilmore). When he's not raging, devouring Popeye's chicken, or being sweet with Valerie, he's not very interesting to watch.

This makes the middle of the movie fall flat. It's a shame that such a talented guy thwarts his own success. If only he were able to convey the full range of actor's emotions, instead of just the extremes (which, granted, he excels at), he would be a force to be dealt with. As it stands, he's just inconsistent force -- sometimes compelling, and sometimes repelling.

Here's some merchandise for sale at

Little Nicky (2000)	-- VHS
Little Nicky (2000)	-- DVD
Little Nicky: Soundtrack	-- Compact Disc
Little Nicky	-- Game for Game Boy Color

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