Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Little Nicky Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 9, 2023

Little was expected of 1995’s “Billy Madison.” It represented Adam Sandler’s first starring vehicle, making use of his goofball screen presence and love of juvenile absurdity. The “Saturday Night Live” star wasn’t exactly the typical big screen comedian, but Sandler found his way to a decent moneymaker in a delightfully weird endeavor, building on that momentum with 1996’s “Happy Gilmore.” Sandler had a fanbase, but he turned into a bankable star after the releases of “The Wedding Singer,” “The Waterboy,” and “Big Daddy,” amassing a following that delighted in his bizarre sense of humor, forcing Hollywood to notice the actor and his A-list potential. Such incredible success and studio faith was put to the test in 2000’s “Little Nicky,” where Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions were entrusted with a large budget for the first time, aiming to create a dark comedy with extensive visual effects while still retaining Sandler’s love of stupidity. “Little Nicky” was Sandler’s first major bomb when it was released, with its extremity too much for audiences at the time, but the film isn’t a creative washout. It's noisy, and the screenplay is too permissive with lame Sandler- isms, but the feature holds together as an interesting experiment in overkill, going for a wild take on hellacious happenings with unpleasant characters, occasionally returning to the comfort of weirdness. It’s a tonal gamble that doesn’t entirely pay off, but there’s some enjoyable anarchy and swift pacing to this ridiculous picture.

Satan (Harvey Keitel) is the ruler of Hell, but his reign is coming to an end, looking to pass control of his kingdom to one of his three sons. There’s Cassius (Tommy Lister Jr.) and Adrian (Rhys Ifans), who seek power, and there’s Nicky (Adam Sandler), a small guy with a brain injury who simply wants to enjoy rock music, staying out of the way. When Satan changes his plans, Cassius and Adrian rebel, escaping to New York City, managing to freeze the fire gate on their way out, which stops all activity in Hell. Looking to retrieve his sons, Satan sends Nicky to collect his brothers, armed with a magical flask to contain them and paired with talking dog Mr. Beefy, who acts as a guide for the confused visitor. Exposed to the wilds of the human realm, Nicky can’t keep up, but he finds warmth in Valerie (Patricia Arquette), a mousy fashion designer, giving him a boost of confidence as he focuses on his mission, but Adrian and Cassius aren’t going back to Hell without a fight.

Unlike other Sandler endeavors, “Little Nicky” is spending money. Hell doesn’t come cheaply, with director Steven Brill (“Mr. Deeds,” “Hubie Halloween”) tasked with bringing the underworld to life, which involves a few large sets and a sizable amount of CGI. It’s an epic-sized movie with typical Happy Madison writing, keeping the foolishness coming as it visits Hell, which is a heavy metal album cover come to life, ruled by a father who can’t trust his sons. Power plays drive the plot, but “Little Nicky” is frequently distracted by the lure of non sequitur comedy, including Hell- approved punishments (Hitler is anally violated with pineapples) and the saga of Stanley (Kevin Nealon), a foolish gatekeeper cursed with female breasts on his head, which, of course, eventually require a colorful bra to support them.

Bits are king in “Little Nicky,” putting the son of Satan on the move in NYC, forced to navigate urban dangers, avoid street preachers (Quentin Tarantino, who really shouldn’t be acting), and he soon discovers the Earthly pleasures of Popeyes Chicken, continuing Sandler’s quest to become a fast-food pitchman after the Subway-ing of “Happy Gilmore.” There’s a romance with Valerie, but Arquette brings nothing to the movie, leaving this subplot a dud. More entertaining are Nicky’s pals, including fussy roommate Todd (Allen Covert), and metalheads John (Jonathan Loughran) and Peter (Peter Dante), who fully appreciate the demon boy’s capacity for violence. The screenplay is all over the place, but certain ideas are hilarious, including exposure of the band Chicago as the conductors of backmasking evil, and a detour to a Harlem Globetrotters game carries some enjoyable kookiness, with Dana Carvey portraying a possessed referee.

Little Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a "new master from a 2K scan of the interpositive." Detail is acceptable under these conditions, and while some softness remains during the viewing experience, the more textured parts of the "Little Nicky" world come through. Skin particulars on humans and demons are appreciable, along with makeup additions. Tours of Hell are acceptably dimensional, and New York City activity is decent, providing adequate distances. Colors are capable, with bold primaries preserved with costuming choices, and the red and fiery highlights of the underworld remain compelling. Colder NYC street activity is also strong. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is satisfactorily managed. Some very mild banding is detected.

Little Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA has the advantage of working with a sonically chaotic movie, as "Little Nicky" is always on the go, visiting all sorts of realms. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, preserving somewhat strange acting choices, especially from Adam Sandler, who's muttering oddness is never lost. Scoring supports with decent instrumentation, and soundtrack selections offer a slightly harder hit, contributing to some low-end activity. Surrounds are active, doing well with atmospherics and moving sound effects, also pushing out musical moods.

Little Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Steven Brill and co-writer Tim Herlihy.

• Commentary #2 features host Michael McKean and a roster of cast members, including Henry Winkler, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, and Ozzy Osbourne.

• "Adam Sandler Goes to Hell" (32:24, SD) is the making-of for "Little Nicky," featuring interviews with director Steven Brill, visual effects supervisors David Sosalla, Marc Kolbe, and John Sullivan, digital effects supervisor Rocco Passionino, production designer Perry Blake, makeup effects supervisor Howard Berger, lighting supervisor Betsy Asher Hall, animation supervisor Erik-Jan De Boer, costume designers Ellen Lutter and Ann Pala, animal stunt coordinator Steve Berens, and actors Rhys Ifans, Tommy Lister Jr., Ozzy Osbourne, Allen Covert, Adam Sandler, Blake Clark, Kevin Nealon, and Patricia Arquette. The broheim atmosphere of the shoot is examined, with Sandler trying to work in as many friends as possible, including Dana Carvey, who broke his foot on his last day. Thespian attitudes are analyzed, along with production design achievements, with the moviemakers trying to take the look of Hell seriously, turning to fine art and heavy metal album covers for inspiration. Heaven is visited as well, with the buttercream wonderland inspired by birthday cake designs. Visual effects are examined, with the production using a lot of different techniques to depict other worlds and strange happenings. Costume design efforts are celebrated, with the team managing looks for angels and demons, along with Nicky's goofball appearance. Also investigated is the work put into the creation of Mr. Beefy, with the dog a combination of trained animal and CGI augmentation.

• Deleted, Extended, and Alternate Scenes (18:24, SD) are offered.

• "Satan's Top Forty" (17:38, SD) examines the iconography and history of heavy metal, offering interviews from rock historian Greg Burk, musicians Gene Simmons, Zakk Wylde, Ronnie James Dio, and Ozzy Osbourne, production designer Perry Blake, and actors Allen Covert, Adam Sandler, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, and Kevin Nealon.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:24, SD) is included.

Little Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Not everything has aged well in "Little Nicky," including the nu metal soundtrack, with the picture crying out for a more classic metal sound. The feature's descent into mayhem in the Central Park finale is also a bit tedious, though it does feature perhaps the most appropriate punchline cameo imaginable, giving the movie a nice lift when it needs it the most. There are trips to Hell and Heaven (Reese Witherspoon portrays a sorority sister-like angel), and the cast is stuffed with Sandler Players and cameos from the SandlerVerse, keeping the whole thing familiar while the production attempts to try something edgier with the premise and visuals. "Little Nicky" looks to push Sandler into blockbuster territory, but his type of humor doesn't work with highly technical and expensive endeavors, and his special silliness gets a little lost in all the commotion. It's still a very entertaining dose of puerile nonsense, and an interesting chapter in Sandler's once lively career.