What A Cartoon Movie! - Eight Crazy Nights
Added 2024-11-25 05:00:07 +0000 UTCThis is a packed podcast worthy of The Festival of Lights, and whether you're Captain Kirk, Arthur Fonzarelli, or the Owner of the Seattle SuperSonic-ahs, you've probably heard Adam Sandler's famous Chanukah Song. How did the seasonal tune become the film that was the last gasp of 2D theatrical animation in the US? We investigate that as well as Sandler's cast of characters in this 2002 movie full of scatological comedy and silly musical numbers. Plus, learn the origins of the original Saturday Night Live sketch in our chat with one of the song's cowriters with Sandler, Lew Morton!
Comments
In defense of the horrible narrator I do think they were going for a cliche and cheesy narration, which is present in so many older films. There's a lot of formulaic jokes and story telling that to me seems like an intentional choice because ultimately this film is a parody. All of the crude humor doesn't age well today but the juxtaposition of this cute colorful animation with the raunchy dialogue and images is very evident. Sandler at this time was young and edgy so having him create this film was part of the absurdness. I think there's a lot of talent involved in this movie and there's certainly writers on the project that knew these jokes were leaning into the opportunity to make something like this, which will probably never exist again. It's not an incredible movie aside from the animation but it's also a bit of a "you had to be there" moment for fans of Sandler in the early 2000s. It's honestly impressive that this film was ever made.
Mickey
2025-03-26 17:32:24 +0000 UTCI've never heard of this one, but then again it made $78,000 in the UK...
CitizenMeh
2025-01-29 21:20:15 +0000 UTCI was in a cranky rotten mood all day after watching the movie. It really did ruin my night and following day; that's how irritating and hate-filled it is
nina matsumoto
2024-12-10 13:22:23 +0000 UTCGot less scared and finally listened to this commentary. Thank you for managing to make this awful movie worth listening to for your info and thoughts. While I get where you and others come form with "at least this movie isn't boring like others, it musters up at least some feelings," I usually agree with that, maybe this movie is the limit for me, but who knows.
ShyRanger
2024-12-07 00:48:58 +0000 UTCI understand your pain because I worked at a Software Etc. and not even my fellow employees could pronounce the name correctly. - Bob
Talking Simpsons
2024-12-05 23:22:54 +0000 UTCThats the timeline where Al Gore was president
wildlandblazer
2024-12-01 23:55:25 +0000 UTCI don't know what it was, but listening to this made me strangely angry, lol. Maybe it was the grating voices or how just about everyone sucks or the "jokes". Loved the commentary and history, but the movie segments just got under my skin 🤷🏻♂️.
Dave Nelson
2024-11-30 00:44:43 +0000 UTCI don’t know if this is my algorithm but Paramount+ has a Holiday section and this is the THIRD movie that shows up on it (after the recently released Paramount+ original Jack Black Santa/Satan movie Dear Santa and the genuine classic Scrooged). If this is not just my algorithm it’s an indictment on Paramount+ as a streaming service.
Mark
2024-11-29 13:01:22 +0000 UTCAfter watching this, I got fed a meme of it on instagram. I went into the comments expecting people to be talking about how bad it was and was surprised when I saw almost nothing but praise for it. The one comment pushing back against it wasn't even that harsh, but they got a bunch of replies saying they probably didn't like it because they were offended. I mean, its fine if you like it, but I just can't imagine the person who feels compelled to defend it.
Evan
2024-11-28 21:41:23 +0000 UTCThis is probably a bottom 10 movie for me.
Trevor Herron
2024-11-27 22:59:53 +0000 UTCOne of my earliest jobs was as the assistant manager of a Spencer's at the time this movie was released. While I have no love for that company, this movie (and our beloved podcast hosts) does something that is often grating to me: Mispronouncing the brand name. It's not "Spencer's Gifts" and "Spencer's Gift" makes no sense... It's Spencer Gifts. When the paid product placement in a movie gets the name wrong, it was no surprise to me that the company rebranded to the simpler, less-confusing "Spencer's" just a couple years after. Again, no love for that junky store... And maybe I'm sensitive to making sure to get someone's name right cuz folks regularly get confused by mine. But I'm sure there had to have been some Spencer's exec that was like, "Aw come ON!"
Sean Ryan
2024-11-26 18:15:36 +0000 UTCI had to tap out because of the “voice acting “ from the movie the moment Eleanore talk nope .
Cossover
2024-11-26 13:21:23 +0000 UTCLiving on a military base in japan as a teen, watching movies repeatedly on dvd was a habit. I don’t know if it’s just bree out of familiarity but I watched osmosis jones and its commentary so many times. I have a huge nostalgic weakness for these early 2000s movies. Being so insulted i was surprised people thought 8 crazy nights was bad
Andrew
2024-11-26 10:10:04 +0000 UTCWhen I was 14 I hated Sandler, but then again when I was 14 his career was in decline and the biggest comedy stars were like Seth Rogen, the Hangover guys, and Melissa McCarthy (I turn 30 in 2 years)
Mark
2024-11-26 06:29:04 +0000 UTCI was probably the target audience for Eight Crazy Nights; I was 14, I loved everything Sandler did, I even knew about Whitey from listening to the comedy albums. So I would end up seeing Eight Crazy Nights three times in theaters. In the same weekend! Needless to say, I loved it and I would say how much you like or dislike the movie depends on how much you enjoy Sandler's silly voices for Whitey and Eleanor. As much as I can't hate it and have such nostalgia for the movie, it's definitely not a good movie. In fact, the more I think about it I bet Eight Crazy Nights could have been a really good holiday movie if you toned down a lot of the juvenile grossness. If this was a PG film with less hate on Whitey and with a more seasoned writer on board; this could really work, and we need that cause there's a shocking lack of Hannukah movies. Plus it's hard to deny how much effort is put into this movie from the animators and even Sandler himself. Considering what Sandler would make after this, especially when Happy Madison becomes a thing, he would make much worse movies with much less effort. And although I'd concede Hotel Transylvania is the better film; I'd still say every song in this movie is better than the "Zing Rap" in Hotel Transylvania. I'm atleast happy 8CN can bring some joy in the form of memes and silly scenes.
SilkiePJ
2024-11-25 21:28:23 +0000 UTCin another universe where this movie was a surprise hit, heavily edited versions of this movie would have been running on Cartoon Network annually with bumpers voiced by Whitey telling you to stick around after Billy and Mandy
Blake R.
2024-11-25 20:54:32 +0000 UTCThe jerk character having to coach kids and learn to be better feels like it’s mostly lifted from The Bad News Bears and The Might Ducks. I’m sure there are tons of other examples. Another Sandler film, The Longest Yard opens with Sandler getting a DUI resulting in him going to jail and joining the prison football team. I forgot he has multiple movies that start with him getting arrested after getting very drunk.
Brian Hortin
2024-11-25 19:59:22 +0000 UTCSorry if you already mentioned this, I haven't finished the podcast yet, but Tom Kenny plays the vibrating chair in this movie, and as you mentioned the director of this movie worked on the Dilbert TV show In the opening episode of the Dilbert TV show dogBert walks into a place that sells vibrating chairs, and the salesman there has a shaky vibrating voice. I imagine that the director remembered Tom Kenny can do that from his time working on the pilot and brought him in (That scene was kind of funny, the guy asks dogbert if he wants to buy a chair, and for no real reason dogBert calls him a pervert and walks away)
Covey M.
2024-11-25 19:25:46 +0000 UTCMan, Bob and Henry are so on the money of 14 is the age you get really into Sandler. I watched this a bunch when I was about 12 or so. Mostly because I think it was always on some channel like HBO or something around Chanukah. I watched it because all the guys in school or summer camp thought Sandler was hilarious. My teenage brain probably thought was excellent because cartoon shit and screaming are edgy, I guess? But, I bet it had two comedic beats like most 2000s comedy: what's the cruelest thing we can do? And what's the grossest thing we can do? Thanks for reflecting on this for me so I don't have to revisit how un-fun to watch it likely is. Happy Holidays Bob And Henry.
Adam Azzalino
2024-11-25 16:05:05 +0000 UTCi've heard the word hoodie since the 90's
Frank Grimes
2024-11-25 12:26:34 +0000 UTC
