The trailer for Adam Sandler’s newest “comedy” premiered yesterday, but it only hints at the film’s badness. The preview shows a lonely shoe repairman discovering a magical sewing machine that can then transform him into the owner of whatever shoes he might slip on. Next, he probably learns about the importance of being yourself, loving your family, or maybe just proper cobbling? I’m getting ahead of myself.
Most trailers know to save the really good stuff for when the ticket is bought, and this one seems to be withholding the most delightfully awful clips for those brave—or sad—enough to walk into the theater. Buckle your 1950’s shoes (because what other kinds of shoes are being taken to cobblers these days?) and watch for yourself:
The whole “adult man has magic thrust on him, learns valuable lesson, changes entire life” comedy has become a genre all its own (Click, The Family Man, Hook, Stranger Than Fiction, Night at the Museum, etc). Have you ever noticed how the beginning of the second act in these movies begins what I will from now on call the “shenanigans” segment? This is when the protagonist gets a few kicks by testing the limits of what his newfound powers can and cannot do. How exciting! How hilarious!
The Cobbler trailer promises some of the most comical shenanigans in recent fantasy-comedy history. Sandler even wears his dead dad’s shoes to take his senile mother out for one last dinner. How sweet? No. How romantic? No. How weird? Yes. The idea of a man taking his father’s place to have a romantic evening with his mother is weird. What’s stopping his mom from taking the date to the next level when they can happily reenact their past sexual exploits? Comedy gold! Hit! Blockbuster! I can hardly wait!