Review of Mr. Deeds

Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler) lives in the small town of Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire, where he runs the local pizza parlor. His real ambition, however, is to write verse for Hallmark's greeting cards. Yet, so far, every rhyme he has sent them has been rejected. That does not matter to the townies, who love hearing Deeds recite his poems at the restaurant. One day, a billionaire (Howard Keel) dies on top of Mount Everest. He leaves no will, making it necessary for his huge company to seek out any heirs. You guessed it, Deeds is a long-lost nephew who inherits a boatload of dough. The company manager, Chuck (Peter Gallagher) wants to give Deeds 42 billion to sell his stock shares back to him. Deeds agrees at first. But, once he gets to his uncle's posh Manhattan mansion where servant Emilio (John Turturro) waits on him hand and foot, Deeds has second thoughts. Not only that, but he meets a beautiful local lady named Pam (Winona Ryder) and he is enchanted by her. But, beware, Deeds. Pam is really a reporter named Babe who is out to get dirt on him. And, are there indeed secrets to uncover? Who will end up with the money? This is really a sunny film for a rainy day. It is lighthearted fun with an absolutely terrific cast. Sandler is quite funny, of course, but John Turturro steals every one of his scenes with a performance that should have garnered him an Oscar. It's THAT good, yes. Ryder, Steve Buscemi, Gallagher, and many others are true delights as well. Then, too, the film looks amazing, from the costumes to the sets and beyond. It appears that no expense was spared and the result is a lovely-to-look-at film, too. Finally, the script is imaginative and humorous, making the viewer chuckle and grin nonstop. Do you, indeed, want a film to vanquish the blues after a rough day? You could, truly, find no better remedy than this one.