Review of The Cobbler (2014) by Thequietgamer — 04 May 2015

It's quite an odd film. Those tired of seeing Sandler doing the same old stuff over and over again should give this one a shot. With all it's weird charm and interesting concept there's something new for Sandler to do here. This semi dramatic comedy might not hit all of the right notes, but what's here is plenty entertaining.

I have to give credit for the attention to detail. When Sandler's character "Max" gains the ability to take on the appearance of another person by literally walking in their shoes, the characters personality and mannerisms are still evident. You can literally tell it's still Max just with a different face. I especially enjoyed the music, which helped carry the Jewish vibe the film was going for.

The plot jumps around between ideas. It starts off giving us a character who just wants to be someone else. Instead of giving us a movie about staying true to oneself writer and director Thomas McCarthy ditches this possibility quickly by tossing our lead into situations here he can help other people. The results are often quite funny. Max gets himself involved in some potentially dangerous scenarios that he has to get out of by switching identities. It gets pretty crazy and leads to some funny moments as well as some sweet ones. The finale tries to go a little too with the fiction and the results come off as a little cheesy.

The Cobbler has some flaws. Overall though there's enough humor and uniqueness here to make it worth a watch. Sandler steps out of his comfort zone to work with some different people. The results are something that feels wildly different from any of his previous works. For those in the mood for something unique that has both humor and heart I recommend this movie.