Review of The Cobbler (2014) by Magnus S — 13 Mar 2015

"The Cobbler" may seem like a heartwarming tale from it's trailers, but on screen it is just a string of things that do not work whatsoever. Adam Sandler leads this film as the fourth generation son in his family to become a cobbler, repairing the shoes of customers in need.

After stumbling upon the fact that each pair of his customers shoes allows him to literally step into their shoes and become them, an unfocussed storyline ensues. From drugs, to robbery, to murder, this film is all over the place, while still trying to give you the emotional undertone it promises from the very beginning.

I was disappointed with how little Dustin Hoffman is in this film, but Adam Sandler does hold it together with a solid performance, and that was sadly one of the only decent parts of this picture. It never strives to be anything more and never has a full explanation.

I feel that the writers should have fleshed out this story more and had more cohesive events building up to the twist. Overall, this is a pretty forgettable film, with nice performances and a lived in atmosphere.

I admired a few aspects, but it kept failing on it's promise too much for me to care. "The Cobbler" is not a very recommendable film.