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The devil refuses to retire after ruling Hell for 10,000 years. Adam Sandler plays Nicky, the
meek son of the devil sent to earth to capture his two renegade brothers Cassius (Tommy Lister Jr.) and Adrian (Rhys Ifans) who are determined to convert souls into supporting
them usurp their father's throne. Cassius and Adrian, being obviously evil, seem likely choices as the devil's successor, while Nicky doesn't stand a chance, being a weakling
and not being cut out for evil. The story revolves around the hunt as Nicky tries to find and channel the evil within him to go after his brothers who successfully sow evil
since they can possess people and look perfectly human.
Little Nicky, in
technical terms, is "one hell of a movie," not because it's "dammed good," but because it barrages the senses with sights, sounds, gimmicks and gook that the viewer can get
exhausted trying to make sense of all that. The sound effects alone can be a virtual "vexation to the spirit," being a patchwork of slapstick and computer-generated noises,
choppy background music and New age hooplah. While the editing is passable, the cameo appearance of stars like Rodney Dangerfield, Ozzy Osborne, Quentin Tarantino, and Reese
Witherspoon is far from adequate.
The trouble with devil comedies is that they can't help but resort to vulgarity, profanity,
crude humor, violence and sex to get their message across. The danger in devil comedies is they trivialize what ought to be taken seriously by Christians who believe in the
existence of heaven and hell. In Little Nicky, people get maimed or killed for laughs. A priest maligns God from the pulpit.
Because Little Nicky contains material that can confuse, especially where it concerns
values, beliefs and traditions, parents with little time or patience to explain and correct may not want their impressionable children (below 18) to see this film. For it's
very contents, however, the movie may serve as a good springboard for classroom discussions, or even as a topic competently analyzed at prayer meetings or parish gatherings.
(Date Reviewed: January 19, 2001)
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