Little Nicky film review

certificate_12

LITTLE NICKY

Satan (Harvey Keitel) has presided over the Underworld for 10,000 years and is considering stepping down to allow one of his sons to ascend the throne.

Unfortunately, the two eldest boys Adrian (Rhys Ifans) and Cassius (Tommy "Tony" Lister Jr) aren't leadership material, and the youngest, Nicky (Adam Sandler), is too goofy to hold the mantle of Prince Of Darkness.

So Old Nick decides to stay in office for another term, which infuriates Adrian and Cassius who flee Hell and take up temporary residence in New York.

Their hasty exit threatens the delicate balance between good and evil on Earth, and prevents any more spirits from passing through the Gates Of Hades and into eternal damnation.

More importantly, unless the two escapees are dragged back into the abyss, Satan Snr will wither away to nothing. Fearful for his father, Nicky agrees to venture into the mortal realm and bring back his rebellious siblings within the allotted seven days, imprisoning them inside an enchanted silver whisky flask.

During his time on Earth, Nicky falls in love with local beauty Valerie (Patricia Arquette). However, he refuses to be distracted from his quest, aided by talking bulldog Beefy (voiced by Robert Smigel).

But Adrian and Cassius's capacity for evil far exceeds his own, so Nicky's chances of saving his pa seem slim. You could say, he doesn't have a chance in hell of outwitting them. Of course, you'd be wrong.

Sandler co-writer Steve Herlihy are sniggering, smut-obsessed 12-year-olds trapped in the bodies of thirtysomething men who find great amusement in unfunny jokes. A queasy running gag about Hitler being sodomised with a pineapple by Satan is just the start of the misery.

Director Steven Brill seems more interested in plot than laughs, spending far too long with the set-up and squandering the pay-offs.

He shoehorns various celebrity cameos into Nicky's adventure - Quentin Tarantino as an accident-prone blind preacher, Rodney Dangerfield as grandfather Satan - but they are just a gimmick to distract us from the unholy mess that is the screenplay.

Nicky's speech impediment and squeaky voice grate very quickly, and his exaggerated centre-parted haircut makes you yearn for a pair of very sharp scissors.

Supporting cast look suitably embarrassed to be involved in the farrago and Arquette has all the life and emotion of a shop mannequin.