Paul Thomas Anderson directs a memorable and refreshingly original romantic comedy. It tells the tale of Barry Egan (Sandler), a lonely guy whose torment at the hands of seven older sisters has resulted in emotion suppression issues that have left him prone to outbursts of violence. On a day when he is hatching a scheme to exploit a loophole in a frequent flier miles promotion by buying up cheap pudding, a harmonium bizarrely comes into his possession, and the mysterious Lena (Watson) enters his life. The path to true love is rarely smooth and such is the case for these two odd people trying to get together. Complicating matters are the nasty people behind a shady phone-sex line who are trying to blackmail Barry, a small business owner who isn't prepared to just roll over when he perceives his trust has been violated. The humour in this often unpredictable and hilarious film is largely derived from the intercutting of drama with weird situations, rather than from Sandler's attempts to be funny. This is a great film for those who are sick of the formulaic romantic comedies usually churned out and don't mind theirs a bit on the dark side.

Eight Crazy Nights is a slightly insane animated movie about one Hanukkah and Christmas holiday that goes terribly wrong. The animation is simple and colourful, much like some of the dialogue. Sandler voices the anti-hero Davey, a troubled criminal delinquent. Davey is a hopeless, insufferable, 33-year-old teenager. The movie pits Davey against the townsfolk, with the exception of his mentor and only friend, a club-footed, hairy, dwarf basketball coach named Whitey (also Sandler, who is also Whitey's eccentric sister and a herd of white-tailed deer). To me, Whitey looked like a mutant cross between Mr. Magoo and an Ewok and the movie chronicles their troubled relationship during the holidays

Now there are some good moments in this film, but it does seem to be lacking in some department. However, it finishes nicely with a charming ending. I did enjoy this in parts, but it certainly didn't change my life (though if Adam Sandler changed my life, then I might be in therapy for a while). Be sure not to walk out early because you'll miss Sandler's goofy version of his comic Hanukkah song