Mr. Deeds

Critics Consensus

This update of Capra doesn't hold a candle to the original, and even on its own merits, Mr. Deeds is still indifferently acted and stale.

22%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 156

59%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 738,317
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Movie Info

One of Frank Capra's best-loved stories gets a modernized and wildly slapstick reinterpretation in this romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler. When Preston Blake (Harve Presnell), a remarkably wealthy media magnate, dies with neither a wife nor children, the question on the lips of most of his associates is who will inherit the estate. The surprising answer turns out to be Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler), a cheerful but half-bright proprietor of a small-town pizzeria, as well as part-time greeting card poet, who was a distant relative of Blake. In order to claim his 40-billion-dollar inheritance, Deeds heads to New York City, where Blake's former associates, Chuck Cedar (Peter Gallagher) and Cecil Anderson (Erick Avari), introduce him to the city while trying to figure out how to get their hands on his new fortune. Meanwhile, Mac McGrath (Jared Harris), the producer of a sleazy tabloid television show, wants to get the inside scoop on Deeds, and comes up with perfect way to get it: he sends beautiful but unscrupulous reporter Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder) to sweep Deeds off his feet while she's wired for sound. Convincing Deeds that she's from a small town just like himself, Bennett quickly wins his heart, but while his affection is sincere, hers is not. He also displays a curious eagerness to defend her good name with his fists which quickly gets him in trouble. Meanwhile, as Deeds becomes the new laughing stock of New York thanks to Bennett's stories, Deeds decides it's time he did something big with his money, while Cedar and Anderson think they've finally found a way to take control of Deeds' holdings. Mr. Deeds also features supporting performances from John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Conchata Ferrell. John McEnroe and Rev. Al Sharpton make cameo appearances as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for language including sexual references, and some rear nudity)
  • Genre:
    Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Steven Brill
  • Written By:
    Tim Herlihy
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $126,203,320
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Columbia Pictures

Cast

Adam Sandler
as Longfellow Deeds
Winona Ryder
as Babe
Peter Gallagher
as Chuck
John Turturro
as Emilio
Jared Harris
as Mac
Steve Buscemi
as Crazy Eyes
Allen Covert
as Marty
Conchata Ferrell
as Jan
Roark Critchlow
as William
Peter Dante
as Murph
JB Smoove
as Reuben
Erick Avari
as Cecil
Derek Hughes
as Waiter
Gideon Jacobs
as Jimmy
Brandon Morale
as Kevin Ward
Harve Presnell
as Blake
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Critic Reviews for Mr. Deeds

All Critics (156) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (122)

View All Critic Reviews (156)

Audience Reviews for Mr. Deeds

  • Dec 02, 2013
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Apr 12, 2012
    As Adam Sandler films go....Mr. Deeds is his typical schlock, only a little more halfhearted than usual. Not that story ever matters in Sandler films, but here he plays a naive small-town guy who becomes the heir to a media empire and is then exploited by a sinister chairman and a shady reporter. In addition to Adam Sandler, the film has a strong supporting comedic cast that includes Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher, and John Turturro. But the script is excruciatingly bad, and Sandler's hackneyed performance prevents anyone from shining. Mr. Deeds does have an occasional laugh, but nobody's putting in much effort and it shows.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Mar 01, 2012
    Adam Sandler can provide some laughs when given the right material or even the right character to play in a movie. When you have none of that you get a humorless Sandler movie like Mr. Deeds. Mr. Deeds is about a sweet-natured, small-town guy who inherits a controlling stake in a media conglomerate and begins to do business his way. Now this is one of the few times where the actors aren't the problem when it comes to making us laughs, it's the script. It's poorly written and filled with humor that doesn't work nor does it have any interesting characters. The script is missing everything you could want in a comedy as it has no good humor, is poorly pace, has plot-holes that I didn't need to pay to much attention to notice, and timing is indescribably bad beyond words. Even though the script is bad, the cast prevented this from being unbearable. Now while not all the cast give a good performance, they are likable. Sandler does the best acting in this movie in my opinion, though his character did get on my nerve, but that's mostly because of the poorly written script. To bad the cast didn't have better material to work with because what they're given is bad and they tried really hard to make it funny, but they couldn't in the end. Mr. Deeds is humorless movie that failed to even get a chuckle out of me. This is truly comedic writing at it worst.
    Caesar M Super Reviewer
  • Feb 03, 2012
    Mr. Deeds is yet another awful Adam Sandler comedy. I saw this in the theatre when it came out, and came out disappointed. The film was terrible, unfunny garbage that just didn't deliver anything good or entertaining for the viewer. Mr. Deeds is an unfunny comedy that is simply awful to watch. The acting and comic delivery were terrible. Adam Sandler successfully made another terrible film and it just goes to show that the guy should have retired a long time ago. Mr. Deeds suffers from a bad script that doesn't deliver effective comedy or a good story for that matter. I hated this film, and thought it was a waste of film. Adam Sandler has been unfunny for quite some time, and films like Mr. Deeds showcases that point perfectly. This is a poorly made comedy that is more excruciatingly painful that funny. This is a film that never should have been made, and it's simply one comedy film that you should avoid. Adam Sandler was funny back in the 90's with films like Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy and The Wedding Singer. But now, he misses the mark more often and his use of comedy is pretty stale. Mr. Deeds is a film that definitely should be avoided, the film really doesn't work as a comedy and it ends up being a total mess from start to finish. If you want a comedy with good laughs, you won't find it here. This is a pointless film that isn't worth your time.
    Alex r Super Reviewer
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