12 Days of Christmas 2015: Eight Crazy Nights

Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Rob Schneider
Directed by: Seth Kearsley


I'm sure a lot of you were surprised at how I actually gave some praise to a holiday bomb like Christmas with the Kranks. You ain't seen nothing yet. I grew up a big fan of Adam Sandler's comedy, and it was during the hit and miss stages. For every couple of successes, there was a bomb or two that would creep up on Sandler. Then came the disasters. He's had a serious fall from grace and receives a lot of hatred from moviegoers everywhere, but I think a lot of people forget that there was a point in our culture where he was the undisputed face of humor. There was a point in our history where Sandler was so popular that he was able to get a movie made to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. And, to further cement how much of a classic holiday tale it was believed to be, it was an animated film. Eight Crazy Nights is one of those polarizing Sandler films that his fans consider either a hit or a miss. For me, I actually enjoy watching it every year despite it being crude and offensive. That's Sandler's bread and butter by now, at least this one is surrounded by holiday themes and animation. So let's dive right into Eight Crazy Nights.

Adam Sandler voices the film's three main characters. As Davey Stone, he pretty much just has to play himself, just as a mean drunk. This is very different for Sandler's usual type of character, who can usually be a drunk, but at least has that likable quality to them. They can have fun, crack some funny jokes and everything's alright with them. With Davey, he's just a bully. It's funny for a little bit, but then it goes on way too long. Even worse, they try to justify it with a traumatizing backstory. I think when Sandler tried to tie a moral to it, it doesn't work as well. Either have Sandler play Sandler or have him be mean the entire film. At least it would've stood out among the other Christmas stories we're used to. As Whitey and Eleanor Duvall, Sandler has to conjure up every ounce of energy to play possibly the two strangest and most annoying siblings in animated history. Are they among the great Christmas characters? Not at all, but they are surprisingly very quotable within my home, so I've grown to accept them. Those voices won't leave your head though, so consider yourself warned.

Say what you want about Sandler, but some of his best comedy came out of his songwriting. Heck, the entire reason this movie probably even exists is because he wrote "The Hanukkah Song." The music really stands out in Eight Crazy Nights as well, being overly catchy, while still maintaining the gross, mean-spirited humor that the film offers. At least it's staying consistent with the tone of the film. You'll be singing the songs as much as you'll be quoting the lines.

What isn't consistent is the tone of the film with the animation. I feel sorry for the animators that had to spend countless hours animating the beautiful Christmas settings and tie it together with Sandler's poop jokes. Those animators deserve better. Another thing that the tone affects is the main demographic. It's no secret that Christmas is the dominant holiday for a lot of the media. With Hanukkah being one of many holidays getting the short end of the stick, Eight Crazy Nights is one of the only, if not THE only major film that celebrates Hanukkah. If you're looking for a Hanukkah special that dignifies the culture and honors the holiday properly, my apologies to Jewish people everywhere, as that's NOT what you're gonna get with this one. But if you can have some fun with it, I think you'll get some laughs out of it.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Giving Eight Crazy Nights 3 stars might seem insane to some, but the songs are catchy, the animation is surprisingly beautiful, and this is one of my favorite Sandler films. It's crass, offensive, and entirely mean-spirited, but I find myself quoting it a lot around the holidays, so if you like Adam Sandler, this is a film you shouldn't pass up whether you're celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah.

Eight Crazy Nights and movie images are copyrighted by Columbia Pictures