Review of Mr. Deeds (2002) by Kelly O — 19 Feb 2013

There aren't too many people like Longfellow Deeds in this world. Deeds is a likeable, 'good-guy' from the small town of Mandrake Falls who doesn't let money get in the way of what's really important to him. Its tough not to embrace the charismatic Deeds when life throws him a curveball and his world is turned upside down. Thought it's loosely based off of the 1936 film "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", Steven Brill's film "Mr. Deeds" still comes off as an original comedy with a slight twist. Now don't go to watch this movie expecting an action-packed drama with lots of special effects. Instead, the combination of likeable characters, a quirky love-story, and the overall positive moral of the film makes "Mr. Deeds" a favorite at any movie store.

Longfellow Deeds may be perhaps the friendliest and most humble character that Adam Sandler has ever played, and the best thing about this role is that it seemed so natural for him. What really makes this film special is the cast of supporting characters such as John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Winona Ryder. Turturro plays the humorous and sneaky Emilio, a servant of Deeds while Buscemi plays Crazy-Eyes, a friendly but unusual citizen from Mandrake Falls. Both of these characters liven up the movie and add just a little silliness to the mix. Ryder stars as Babe Bennett, a sexy journalist who tricks Deeds into falling in love with her in order to gather any information she can about him to save her job. The relationship between Babe and Deeds really becomes the focal point of the film, and takes its viewers for quite a ride.

The minute that Deeds saves Babe from her staged "mugging", it is obvious that these two will end up falling in love. This brings up one major flaw in the plot: it is way too predictable. This isn't necessarily a negative thing, but some viewers might not enjoy the fact that they can guess what will happen next. When Babe initially goes out with Deeds, she is simply doing it for her job and does her best to fake affection toward him in order to find out more information. As time draws on, Deeds' heartwarming personality grows on her more and more until she realizes she is in love and can't live with the fact that she is lying to him. This creates an interesting chemistry between the two, and it definitely keeps the audience's interest.

One of the best parts about this film is that Longfellow Deeds' personality is contagious. It grows not only on his friends in the film, but also grows on his viewers. An important lesson taught in this film is to be happy no matter what you have. Deeds is a prime example of this, as even gaining $40 billion and becoming the richest man in New York doesn't change who he is one bit. In fact, he ends up teaching a room full of greedy stockholders this same exact lesson too. This is what makes "Mr. Deeds" such a fantastic film, seeing a loveable character that stays strong and fights for what he believes in.

Having any other actor in the place of Sandler would definitely knock this film down a couple notches. The image Sandler portrays as Longfellow Deeds locks in the audience and makes them begin to care about him, especially as the girl he falls in love with turns out to have been hiding something from him. The twists and turns throughout the movie definitely keep things interesting, especially when things look so hopeless for Deeds that there couldn't be any way out. Anyone who is partial to a heartwarming classic will get a few good laughs and will definitely enjoy "Mr. Deeds".