3/10

Adam Sandler dives back in to the world of drama, as he stars in “The Cobbler”. Max Simken (Sandler) repairs shoes in the same New York shop that his family has owned for generations. Unhappy with the personal struggles in his daily life, Max stumbles upon a family machine that allows him to become the customers shoes he repairs with the machine. While walking in someone else’s shoes, Max finds out the true person underneath. “The Cobbler” stumbles in the genre of two separate film genres. It’s not an intriguing comedy because of it’s lack of funny punchlines, and it’s not a drama because it’s characters are so unlikable that we never feel interested by the stories they tell. It fails at either attempt, and only leaves the movie struggling for a proper art direction. I personally was looking forward to Sandler’s return to drama. After successful turns in “Reign Over Me”, and “Punch Drunk Love”, Sandler has shown some decent acting talent hidden away under decades of torturous comedy. But “The Cobbler” feels like the “Jack and Jill” of drama movies. It’s plot is ridiculous even for cartoon standards, and the movie never feels charming even with it’s many celebrity cameos. Method Man, Steve Buscemi, and even Dustin Hoffman squander away any decent acting with a script that limits them to goofy subplots. If there is anything that works for this film, it’s the fact that it’s short enough (92 minutes) to never be anything memorable. The editing is poorly structured with many scenes running on for too long, and many script lines taking too long to reach their point. What i am interested in is how Sandler comedic fans will feel about such an effort, More than likely, it will come and go without much recognition due to it’s straight to DVD release. At the worst, it’s forgetful, but at it’s best, it’s a Twilight Zone style plot that cobbles up the viewer’s intelligence (Pun intended). Short and sweet, there just isn’t enough here to demand a must see to any of the audience. Even the most united of Sandler fans will have trouble keeping the DVD in play, while maintaining conscious. Avoid this one. It’s not even worth a dollar rental.