Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
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A troubled alcoholic is sentenced to community service as a basketball referee-in-training during the holiday of Hanukkah.
The story
Set around Hanukkah, the film centers on Davey Stone, a troubled Jewish alcoholic who is sentenced to community service with the aid of an aging referee in an attempt at rehabilitation. Davey's criminal record has earned him animosity in his hometown of Dukesberry, New Hampshire. On the first night of Hanukkah, Davey is taken to court for recent criminal activity. Whitey Duvall, an eccentric aging volunteer referee, convinces the judge to let Davey do community service as a referee-in-training for the league. The judge warns that if Davey commits another crime before his tenure concludes, he will be sentenced to a minimum of ten years in prison.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jewish alcoholic Davey Stone's criminal record has earned him animosity in his hometown of Dukesberry, New Hampshire. On the first night of Hanukkah, Davey is taken to court for crimes including dining and dashing and indecent exposure. Whitey Duvall, an eccentric aging volunteer referee, convinces the judge to let Davey do community service as a referee-in-training. The judge warns Davey that any further crimes will result in a ten-year prison sentence. During his first game, Whitey has a seizure, and Davey forfeits. Whitey takes Davey to a mall where he encounters Davey's childhood crush, Jennifer Friedman, and her son Benjamin. Davey bonds with Benjamin, but their unsportsmanlike behavior angers Jennifer. After Davey's trailer is burned down, Whitey invites him to stay with his twin sister, Eleanore. Davey eventually improves until Whitey reveals that Davey's parents died in a car accident, causing Davey to lash out and be evicted. After a binge-drinking night where he hallucinates store mascots, Davey realizes he needs to grieve. He boards a bus to New York but stops to make amends with Whitey. At an All-Star Banquet, Davey publicly defends Whitey's selfless contributions to the community. The townspeople thank Whitey, and he is finally granted the 'Dukesberry All-Star Patch' he had coveted for thirty-five years. Davey and Jennifer reconcile as Whitey has one final 'happy' seizure.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 76
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Seth Kearsley
- Writers
- Brooks Arthur · writer; Allen Covert · writer; Brad Isaacs · writer; Adam Sandler · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adam Sandler · Davey Stone; Jackie Titone · Jennifer Friedman; Austin Stout · Benjamin Friedman; Rob Schneider · Narrator; Kevin Nealon · Mayor Dewey; Norm Crosby · the judge; Jon Lovitz · Tom Baltezor
- Genres
- animated; musical; comedy; adult
- Themes
- rehabilitation; grief; forgiveness; community
- Tone and mood
- dour; musical; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- basketball; buddy comedy; musical; Hanukkah; alcoholism
- Content notes
- feces-eating deer scene
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial failure, panned by critics and grossing less than its budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 23 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Production trivia
- It was the only traditionally-animated film with Adam Sandler's involvement.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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