Mr. Deeds [Blu-ray]

Director: Steven Brill, Jared Harris Steven Brill

Overview

One of Frank Capra's best-loved stories gets a modernized and wildly slapstick reinterpretation in this romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler. When Preston Blake (Harve Presnell), a remarkably wealthy media magnate, dies with neither a wife nor children, the question on the lips of most of his associates is who will inherit the estate. The surprising answer turns out to be Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler), a cheerful but half-bright proprietor of a small-town pizzeria, as well as part-time greeting card poet, who was a distant relative of Blake. In order to claim his 40-billion-dollar inheritance, Deeds heads to New York City, where Blake's former associates, Chuck Cedar (Peter Gallagher) and Cecil Anderson (Erick Avari), introduce him to the city while trying to figure out how to get their hands on his new fortune. Meanwhile, Mac McGrath (Jared Harris), the producer of a sleazy tabloid television show, wants to get the inside scoop on Deeds, and comes up with perfect way to get it: he sends beautiful but unscrupulous reporter Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder) to sweep Deeds off his feet while she's wired for sound. Convincing Deeds that she's from a small town just like himself, Bennett quickly wins his heart, but while his affection is sincere, hers is not. He also displays a curious eagerness to defend her good name with his fists which quickly gets him in trouble. Meanwhile, as Deeds becomes the new laughing stock of New York thanks to Bennett's stories, Deeds decides it's time he did something big with his money, while Cedar and Anderson think they've finally found a way to take control of Deeds' holdings. Mr. Deeds also features supporting performances from John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Conchata Ferrell. John McEnroe and Rev. Al Sharpton make cameo appearances as themselves.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/15/2011
UPC:	0043396362826
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	22,146

Special Features

Director and writer commentary; Deleted scenes; "Clothes Make the Man" featurette; "From Mandrake Falls to Manhatta" featurette; Outtakes reel; Deeds' greeting cards; "Spare No Expense" featurette; Music video "Where Are You Going" by Dave Matthews band

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Adam Sandler	Longfellow Deeds
Winona Ryder	Babe
Peter Gallagher	Chuck
John Turturro	Emilio
Jared Harris	Mac
Steve Buscemi	Crazy Eyes
Allen Covert	Marty
Conchata Ferrell	Jan
Roark Critchlow	William
Peter Dante	Murph
J.B. Smoove	Reuben
Erick Avari	Cecil
Derek Hughes	Waiter
Gideon Jacobs	Jimmy
Brandon Morale	Kevin Ward
Harve Presnell	Blake
John McEnroe	Himself
Al Sharpton	Himself
Blake Clark	Buddy Ward
Buddy Bolton	Kameramann
Scott Thompson Baker	Nachrichtensprecher
Elizabeth Owens	Kitty
Florence Anglin	Jane
Sylvia Kauders	Sue
Henry Hayward	Mr. Wetherley
Frank Weller	Alter Farmer
Karen Nation	Lucy
Ken Forsgren	Copilot
Earl Schuman	Blakes Diener
Irina Davidoff	Blakes russisches Dienstmädchen
William Brady	Chauffeur
Brandon Molale	Kevin Ward,, Quaterback der N.Y. Jets
Walter Williamson	Kurt
Billy St. John	George
Teddy Castellucci	Composer
Jerry Brooks	Reuben
Robert Frank Telfer	Business Anchor

Technical Credits

Tim Herlihy

Peter Lyons Collister

Steven Brill	Director
Tim Herlihy	Screenwriter
Joseph M. Caracciolo	Executive Producer
Sid Ganis	Producer,Producer
Jack Giarraputo	Producer
Roger Mussenden	Casting
Adam Sandler	Executive Producer
Greg Smrz	Stunts
J.C. Brotherhood	Special Effects
Paul Eliopoulos	Stunts
Felipe Borrero	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Jared Harris	Director
Peter Lyons Collister	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Frank Capra’s Oscar-winning 1936 drama has been dusted off and updated to make a surprisingly charming star vehicle for the indefatigable Adam Sandler, playing his most sympathetic role since The Wedding Singer. Stepping into shoes originally filled by Gary Cooper, Sandler is somewhat more restrained than usual as Longfellow Deeds, the kindhearted proprietor of a small-town pizza parlor who unexpectedly inherits a big corporation and the personal fortune of its founder. Whisked off to New York City by an unscrupulous executive (Peter Gallagher), the naive, folksy Deeds becomes an object of ridicule to urban sophisticates -- owing mostly to embarrassing stories leaked to the press by a cynical reporter (Winona Ryder) and her conniving editor. This remake, "cleaner" than most of Sandler’s films but not entirely devoid of the coarse humor that has become his trademark, hews fairly closely to Capra’s original in spirit, although the characters and situations have been altered considerably. Ryder’s infrequently exhibited flair for comedy makes her a delightful leading lady, even when she seems a little nonplussed by the star’s outrageous antics. The fish-out-of-water humor doesn’t yield any startlingly original gags, but Sandler makes the familiar ones seem fresh with his enthusiastic trouping. John Turturro has a plum supporting part as an inscrutable butler, and he plays it to the hilt. Engaging in a way that Sandler’s movies rarely are, Mr. Deeds should find a receptive audience among home viewers who appreciate old-fashioned values and expect happy endings. The DVD edition features a commentary by director Steven Brill (Little Nicky), along with three making-of featurettes, outtakes, a music video by the Dave Matthews Band, cast filmographies, and DVD-ROM script-to-screen content.