Mr. Deeds (2002)
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A humble pizzeria owner unexpectedly becomes the heir to a multi-billionaire's empire.
The story
After billionaire Preston Blake freezes to death on Mount Everest, his board of directors discovers his closest living relative is Longfellow Deeds, a kind-hearted pizzeria owner from Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire. Deeds is flown to New York City to manage the transition of the Blake Media empire. While there, he meets the greedy CEO Chuck Cedar, who seeks to break up the company, and a cynical tabloid reporter, Babe Bennett, who creates a fake persona to get close to him. As Deeds navigates the corporate world and his growing feelings for Babe, he must decide how to handle his massive new inheritance.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After billionaire Preston Blake dies on Mount Everest, his great-nephew Longfellow Deeds, a pizzeria owner from New Hampshire, inherits his multi-billion dollar empire. Deeds travels to New York City, where he meets the greedy CEO Chuck Cedar, who wants to dismantle the company. During his stay, Deeds meets Babe Bennett, a tabloid reporter posing as a school nurse. Though initially seeking a scoop, Babe falls for Deeds' kindness. After a series of events, including a trip to a fictional town and a dramatic rescue from a frozen lake, Babe's deception is revealed. Deeds initially decides to return home, but learns Cedar plans to lay off thousands of employees. At a shareholders' meeting, Deeds tries to convince everyone to keep the company open, but Cedar reveals he controls a majority of the shares. Suddenly, Babe arrives with Blake's personal diary, revealing that the butler Emilio Lopez is actually Blake's illegitimate son and the true heir. Emilio takes control, fires the corrupt board members, and gives Deeds a $1 billion gift. Deeds and Babe reconcile, returning to Mandrake Falls to run the pizzeria together.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Brill
- Writers
- Tim Herlihy · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Adam Sandler · Longfellow Deeds; Winona Ryder · Babe Bennett; Peter Gallagher · Chuck Cedar; Jared Harris · Mac McGrath; Allen Covert · Marty; Erick Avari · Cecil Anderson; John Turturro · Emilio Lopez; Peter Dante · Murph
- Genres
- comedy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- inheritance; class difference; honesty
- Tone and mood
- comedy; romantic
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; adaptation; romantic comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1935 short story "Opera Hat" by Clarence Budington Kelland.
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $171.3 million against a production budget of $50 million.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 22% · review count: 153; Metacritic · score: 24 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Awards and nominations
- Kids' Choice Award · Favorite Movie Actor · win; Razzie Award · Worst Actor · nomination; Razzie Award · Worst Actress · nomination; Razzie Award · Worst Remake or Sequel · nomination
- Production trivia
- Images of the World Trade Center towers were digitally removed from several shots of New York City following the September 11, 2001 attacks.; The Blake Media Hotel scenes were shot in Beverly Hills, California.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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