By Alexia Evripidou
Despondent shoemaker Max Simkin (Adam Sandler) gets a second lease on life when he literally takes a step into someone else’s shoes but much to his surprise the results are more than just a little empathy for others, as his life takes on a new physical and metaphysical turn towards self discovery.
Max repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. With every day bleeding into the next without a whiff of excitement, he becomes enveloped in cynicism and like many others with unfulfilled childhood dreams, disenchanted. A threatening customer (let’s call him scary man) demands his shoes ready by end of day, unfortunately for Max, his trusted sewing machine malfunctions and he is forced to dig deep in the basement for an old machine to complete the order on time.
He soon discovers, after breaking his ‘shoemaker’s oath’ and trying on scary man’s size 10.5s, that the old sewing machine is enchanted, since the reflection that greets him in the mirror, is no longer his own. Recovering from the inevitable shock – granted, he was pretty quick about it – Max embraces his findings and steps out into the lives of his customers, enabling him to see the world through completely ‘new eyes’. Puns are both inevitable and unavoidable for this film, sorry.
Max uses this newfound ability to take people’s shoes and live as someone else. He spends the day in Chinatown as a Chinese man, enjoys dinner in a restaurant whereupon changing shoes facilitates his escape without payment for his meal. He uses the shoes of an arrogant British customer with a model girlfriend, need I elaborate here! He even goes as far as embodying a transgender.
His life definitely becomes piquant. Until finally the plot begins to thicken to the consistency of runny curry, as gangsters, mafia and love interests kick in. There’s even a subplot regarding Max’s missing father and sick mother, who is still yearning for her husband’s return. Although we do eventually meet Max’s father, the motives behind his abandonment of the family are weak and do not gel together to create the closure that the viewer has been worked up to expect.
Eventually trouble finds Max as he steps on the wrong toes. Getting embroiled in scary man’s business, he lands himself into trouble way out of his depth which spirals into the bosom of big mafia boss Ellen Barkin. With the situation out of control he gives up until inspiration comes from his uninspiring love interest Carmen Herrera (Melonie Diaz) – a plain Jane type nagging do-gooder. Max soon realises his responsibility to rectify the mess he’s created as well as actually do some good for others in need.
To please his sick mother, he puts on the biggest shoes of all, his father’s. Laden with pain and anger, he pushes everything aside and fulfills his mother’s wish, to see her husband again.
The film does have many nice as well as comical moments in it; however, it never truly seems to find its footing. It’s too long for its own good. It is a well meaning film with excellent actors including Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi, Ellen Barkin to name but a few. Buscemi as ever, is great to watch. Even Sandler does a pretty good job, he’s pleasantly convincing as a down and out man saddened with the regrets of his life.
However as a whole, the film is just not terribly compelling, or even mildly compelling. It is something to watch to pass the time and then wonder why you wasted your time. It lacks the magic to string together an above average storyline, which is a shame as it does have classic actors and a potentially sweet narrative.
The Cobbler is a step up from Adam Sandler’s usual comedies, his acting shows more emotion and depth than we have grown accustomed to, and Sandler is more invested in the character than he has been for a long time. Unfortunately, it just does not quite take off and leaves the audience feeling almost bereft of fulfilled visual entertainment.
DIRECTED BY Thomas McCarthy
STARRING Adam Sandler, Adam B Shapiro, Dustin Hoffman
US 2014 99mins
