Little Nicky

It's no wonder producers and directors all over Hollywood are lining up to work with Adam Sandler — it's got to be the easiest gig in the entertainment industry.

In fact, it seems like all you have to do is find an excuse that's flimsy enough to give reason for Sandler to sport a stupid accent and an even-dumber haircut, and box-office gold will be guaranteed.

Not to sound too cynical, but that seems like the exact amount of thinking that went into Sandler's latest, the irritating and desperately unfunny comedy "Little Nicky."

The film is also yet another disastrous step backward for the "Saturday Night Live" alum, who appeared as if he was ready to make the Great Step Forward with the surprisingly charming hit "The Wedding Singer."

But "Little Nicky" is a particularly weak effort — even by Sandler's usually low standards. And the fact that there are talented people like Harvey Keitel, Reese Witherspoon and Rhys Ifans slumming in this nonsense only consigns it to an even lower level of cinematic hell.

As in all his films, Sandler plays the title character, here as the underachieving youngest son of Satan (Keitel). It seems the devil is due to retire after his 10,000-year reign, but he doesn't feel confident in the ability of any of his three sons to rule.

Consequently, he decides to take charge for another 10 centuries, which enrages Nicky's older brothers, the conniving Adrian (Ifans, from "The Replacements") and the just-plain-cruel Cassius (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.).

As a result, the two demons head up to the surface to create their own kingdom on Earth. But during their exit, they destroy the Gates of Hell and manage to cripple the Lord of the Underworld. So it's up to the seemingly hapless Nicky to track them down before it's too late.

The only person — or thing — he can trust on Earth is Beefy, a demon dog (voiced by "Late Show With Conan O'Brien" performer Robert Smigel), who keeps reminding him that he has less than a week to capture his brothers and return to Hades. However, there's one more major complication — a mortal named Valerie (Patricia Arquette), for whom Nicky has fallen head over heels.

Director Steven Brill, who co-wrote the script with Sandler and frequent Sandler collaborator Tim Herlihy, hasn't directed a movie since 1995's "Heavyweights." And his lack of filmmaking skills are all too obvious here (he lingers far too long after punchlines, for example).

Brill's lack of proficiency also leads to lazy, uninspired performances from the cast (Sandler can't even stay in character from scene to scene, while mumble-mouth Arquette barely registers). Of the bunch, only Witherspoon stands out as the film's sole highlight, though she's too good for this type of material.

"Little Nicky" is rated PG-13 for crude humor and sight gags (sexual and scatological), slapstick-style violence (pratfalls, as well as demon battles), scattered strong profanity (including one utterance of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), brief nudity (makeup appliances), brief animal sex and brief drug use (marijuana). Running time: 93 minutes.

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