Synopsis
Directed by Tom McCarthy, Adam Sandler stars in the 2014 film ‘The Cobbler’. The film is in the genre of fantasy comedy and drama and it tells the story of a sad shoe repairman who through a magical relic, is able to ‘wear’ the lives of people by literally putting on their shoes. The film, while full of metaphorical potential, was criticized during its release for its tonal inconsistencies and a shallow narrative on deeper themes.
The film is set in a working-class Manhattan neighborhood. The film is centered around Max Simkin, a fourth-generation cobbler played by Adam Sandler. Max’s life is depressing and uneventful. He takes care of his elderly mother who is unwell and suffers from poor health. Beyond his daily survival, he has no social relationships, aspirations, or life goals to work towards.
The film’s central premise occurs when Max’s stitching machine breaks down, and he resorts to employing an old manual stitcher located in the shop’s basement, a machine that once belonged to his ancestors. After repairing a pair of shoes with the old device, Max comes across a strange phenomenon. Whenever he puts on shoes that were mended using the stitcher, he physically transforms into the person who wore the shoes.
This revelation unlocks a myriad of possibilities. At first, the magical ability is put to use for small personal adventures; escaping the burdens of his life, dining at high-end restaurants, and strolling through the city dressed as another man. As time goes on, Max becomes embroiled in increasingly convoluted scenarios, from using impersonations to facilitate or thwart various activities, to paying off debts and executing vengeance or atonement.
The plot thickens when Max undergoes a transformation using the shoes of a local thug, Leon Ludlow (Method Man). He seeks to penetrate the criminal underworld, where Ludlow is engaged in illegal eviction schemes and real estate fraud that is severely impacting the community. Max’s attempts to mitigate the negative impacts of gentrification on his neighborhood take a Robin Hood-like approach, where he fights against systemic injustices that gentrification brings with using his shape-shifting ability. Ludlow’s gentrification brings with it an array of impersonational chaos and dangers, moral dilemmas, and a loss of identity that ensues when he begins to forget who he actually is.
Max’s attempts at fighting systemic injustices come with a price, and throughout the film, he is faced with the dilemma of permanently living in another person’s skin. This is especially the case with glamourous and envious lives that others around him lead. To some extent, he does the same by wearing the shoes of his father, Abraham Simkin, who left the family mysteriously years ago. Max undergoes an emotional transformation after he learns his family’s hidden truths, deepening his understanding when he walks through his father’s shoes.
In the last act, Max reveals a greater secret: his father, who has been using the magical shoe transformation ability, is alive and has been watching and influencing people’s lives from the shadows. It is uncovered that the magical lineage has been safeguarded across generations, where the cobblers serve as sentinel keepers of a certain moral equilibrium. This change, which happens suddenly, is what turns the light-hearted fantasy into a deeper story around legacy, responsibility, and self.
The last scene of the movie has Max walk off with his father, implying that not only did he decide to accept the role of a cobbler, but also as someone who can strategically leverage the magical gift to do good in the world. This not only shows a renewed purpose but also suggests a restored familial bond.
Cast & Crew
As the main character, Max Simkin, Adam Sandler delivers a performance that is more restrained and introspective than his usual works. Though known for his exaggerated slapstick humor, Sandler adopts a more toned down and tempered version for The Cobbler. While many critics felt he was either miscast or underused, he captured quite well the tragic silence of a man who is emotionally alienated and burdened by a monotonous life.
Method Man plays Leon Ludlow, a local thug whose life Max briefly commandeers. His performance adds a gritty urban edge to the otherwise fantastical story.
Dustin Hoffman stars as Abraham Simkin, Max’s long-lost father, a character whose brief yet fundamental presence marks both the emotional and the narrative pivot of the tale.
Other notable cast members include:
Steve Buscemi as Jimmy, the barber and Max’s friend. While he seems to be a mundane character from the neighborhood, he is later unveiled to be a complex person.
Melonie Diaz as Carmen, a neighborhood activist battling against gentrification and displacement.
Ellen Barkin as Elaine Greenawalt, a ruthless antagonist real estate gentrifier of the gentrification plot.
Tom McCarthy, who is known for more grounded dramas like The Station Agent and Spotlight (which would later win an Academy Award), wrote and directed The Cobbler. It was noted that while the merging of fantasy, comedy, and social commentary was an ambitious undertaking, it was also considered to be quite lopsided.
McCarthy co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Sado, merging magical realism with urban decay, familial connections, and empathy conveyed through perspective-shifting. The score, crafted by Howard Shore, offers a gentle, whimsical touch that complements the narrative’s fantastical elements.
Oliver Bokelberg’s work in cinematography underscores the stark contrast between the lively, multifaceted New York City and the monotonous existence of the cobbler’s shop. The imagery supports the central idea of the film, which is to break out of a monotonous existence through the experiences of others.
IMDb Reviews
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
On the Cobbler’s page in IMDb, the film has a rating of 5.8 out of 10. This score indicates that the film received average, if not subpar, reception from audiences and critics alike. While the premise was thought through, its execution was problematic. A lot of the viewers seemed to expect a heartwarming fantasy, while others were looking for strong social commentary. The film, however, fell short by presenting an unbalanced mixture of both.
One of the major criticisms was the lack of a coherent tone. The film tries to incorporate a whimsical fantasy, an awkward comedy, a sentimental drama, and a moral tale which, as the audience would expect, fails badly. This lack of focus results in poor pacing as well as lack of resolution for several plot lines.
Despite the film’s execution, the film was able to make an important commentary on empathy: that the best way to grasp the depth of a person’s life is by stepping into their shoes. Even though the film failed to encapsulate the message due to poor execution, it tried to comment on empathy, identity, and socio-economic disparity.
The reactions toward the twist on the father’s return and the cobbler heritage story were divisive, with some praising it for adding breadth and depth while others felt it weakened the story’s previously established grounding elements.
The reception from Adam Sandler’s fans was equally as divisive. While some fans embraced his serious role, others were put off by the slower tempo and departure from his signature energetic style Sandler is well-known for.
Conclusion
The Cobbler is a film rich with emotion and captivating ideas, as well as the ability for profound societal critique. The story is fundamentally about empathy, legacy, and purpose, achieved through connection with others. The magical realism of actually “walking in others’ shoes” is a clever way to approach the consideration of identity and transformation.
The film suffers from a lack of decisive narrative focal point and tonal consistency. Regardless of the presence of strong talent from the cast and a meaningful premise, The Cobbler lacks the ability to find its narrative footing. The film remains an interesting addition to the filmographies of Adam Sandler and Tom McCarthy, for a work that does not seem to hit its intended marks still holds some value for viewers willing to overlook its flaws.
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