Adam Sandler does an excellent job acting the bi-polar garage owner with a simpleton's naivete. In fact, given the assinine dialogue, and the losers they were assigned to portray, the entire cast does a good job attempting to stretch their acting muscles in service of this mess.
But, there are two miserably absurd plots -- an annoyingly stupid and violent back-and-forth about four stupid brothers who try to collect blackmail money on behalf of their sister, a phone-sex hostess. Philip Seymour Hoffman is totally wasted as the mentor of these five losers -- presumably the father but I'm not clear on that. The other is even more disappointing because Emily Watson, one of the most talented young actresses around today (Hillary and Jackie, Breaking the Waves, Luzhin Defence, etc.), gets to play a beautiful and successful fantasy who just seems to be waiting for dysfunctional cretin Sandler to enter her life, and she is given no character of her own. What a waste!
But, there are two miserably absurd plots -- an annoyingly stupid and violent back-and-forth about four stupid brothers who try to collect blackmail money on behalf of their sister, a phone-sex hostess. Philip Seymour Hoffman is totally wasted as the mentor of these five losers -- presumably the father but I'm not clear on that. The other is even more disappointing because Emily Watson, one of the most talented young actresses around today (Hillary and Jackie, Breaking the Waves, Luzhin Defence, etc.), gets to play a beautiful and successful fantasy who just seems to be waiting for dysfunctional cretin Sandler to enter her life, and she is given no character of her own. What a waste!