An excerpt from my script review for Pixels which will be available 8/11/15:
3.) Quality of Characters
Billy Madison was popular around the time I was finishing high school. In fact, it was a surprising treat to watch it on the bus while on an out of state field trip. We all felt very grown up, watching a Rated R film on a school sanctioned charter bus.
The problem is, that was 20 years ago, and sooner or later remaking practically the same character is going to get old, right?
One refreshing point about this, and maybe he’s maturing slightly, is that Adam Sandler’s character is severely struggling in life.
Of course he always plays characters who yearn for more, but this time he’s stuck pretty low on society’s totem pole.
The equivalent of a Best Buy Geek, he’s constantly confronted by people living the good life, making him feel worse about himself.
So kudos for branching out?
On the other side, Kevin James’s character is just Doug Heffernan from King of Queens under a different name. By the way, somehow his buffoon character is also the President of the United States.
Let that one settle.
Ludlow, the typical conspiracy theorist still living with mother, and curious if why Spade or Schneider turned this role down.
Eddie was decent as the anti-Brenner, but The Dinklage not being the hero feels like a waste.
And on and on…you’ve seen these before…
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