Adam Sandler Walks in Other People's Shoes in First 'The Cobbler' Trailer

One of the chief complaints about Adam Sandler, other than that his comedies are awful lately, is that he's never really capitalized on what have been generally well-received dramatic performances. But this year has seen Sandler in two serious films, neither of which were met with any degree of critical acclaim. The first was Jason Reitman's Men, Women & Children, an overwrought drama about how awful the Internet is. Nobody came to see it. And the second was The Cobbler, which got crushed after its debut in Toronto. But the latter film is still headed to theaters at some point, and now the first trailer is here for you to try on for size.

Written and directed by the generally reliable Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent, Win Win), The Cobbler stars Sandler as a lonely shoe repairman with a magic sewing machine that allows him to walk in the shoes of his customers, living their lives. The tone for this one is all over the place, but the supporting cast is really good with Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi, Melonie Diaz, Ellen Barkin, and Method Man co-starring. 

The Cobbler has yet to gain a U.S. release date.

Read More

First Look at Adam Sandler in Thomas McCarthy's 'The Cobbler'

Although the last few years have seen Adam Sandler fritter away the good will cultivated in dramas like Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, he's stepping into 2014 attempting to earn it back. Thankfully he's not giving us Grown Ups 3 (yet), but instead he'll be starring in The Cobbler, from Win Win and The Station Agent writer/director Thomas McCarthy.

EW has released the first image from the film, which has Sandler as a shoe cobbler who suddenly gains the ability to literally walk in another's shoes and see the view from different perspetives. It looks like another chance for Sandler to flash his comedic and rarely used dramatic chops, and if there's anybody who can bring out the best in him it's McCarthy.

Co-starring Dustin Hoffman, Melonie Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Method Man, Steve Buscemi, and Dan Stevens, The Cobbler should arrive later this year.

Read More

Adam Sandler Will Star in Tom McCarthy's 'The Cobbler'

Every time Adam Sandler puts out another safe, juvenile piece of junk like Grown Ups or That's My Boy, it serves as a reminder of the times when he's actually attempted to act. While films like Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish, and Reign Over Me are few and far between, when Sandler goes serious he can be very effective. And perhaps after scoring another hit with Grown Ups 2 he feels comfortable going back to something more dramatic.

Sandler will star in The Cobbler, the next film from writer/director Tom McCarthy, who gave us small-scale indies The Station Agent, Win Win, and The Visitor. The Cobbler sounds like a bit of a departure from McCarthy's character driven efforts, centering on " a shoe man who has the ability to metaphysically step into the lives of the people whose shoes he repairs."  McCarthy should be able to keep the amazing aspects of the film grounded in reality, as he did when co-writing Pixar's Up a few years ago.

It does appear that Sandler is looking to broaden his horizons, as he's also attached to Jason Reitman's Men, Women & Children, which he'll shoot after The Cobbler is wrapped. McCarthy had been planning his Boston Catholic Church scandal film, now titled Spotlight, as his next project but it's now being pushed to 2014 as it seeks a new studio. Dreamworks recently dropped out, leaving the film without a home, and it's unclear if Matt Damon is still circling the lead role. [THR]

Read More