Poster for the movie's theatrical release.
Eight Crazy Nights (also known as Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights) is a Hanukkah-themed American animated comedy drama. It was released in the United States on November 27, 2002. It was directed by Seth Kearsley and features the voices of Adam Sandler (who also co-wrote and co-produced the movie), Jackie Titone, Austin Stout and Rob Schneider.
The movie centers around the character of Davey Stone, an unpleasant young man, an alcoholic and a petty criminal from a Jewish background, who finally comes to terms with the loss of his parents, learns to become more considerate of others and finally turns his life around during Hanukkah. There are obvious parallels to famous Christmas stories, such as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Dr, Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Although the movie is animated in a style reminiscent of many popular children's Christmas television specials, the movie's central themes of depression and alcoholism brought about by bereavement are very adult. Much of the movie's humor is also very crude and comes from references to sex, bodily functions, alcohol and drugs. Consequently, the movie was rated PG-13 in the United States, PG in Canada, 12A in the United Kingdom and M in Australia.
Plot
The action takes place in December in a small American town called Dukesberry. The movie opens with Davey Stone, a 33-year old heavy drinker and troublemaker with a long record of petty crimes, anouncing that he is not going to eat latkes or take part in any other holiday traditions but will instead, as always, drink the holidays away. After Davey leaves a Chinese restaurant without paying his bill and destroys ice sculptures of a menorah and Santa Claus, he is arrested.
At his trial, Davey is about to be sentenced to ten years in prison, when Whitey Duval steps forward. Whitey is Davey's former basketball coach. He is a rather strange, short white-haired old man who suffers from frequent seizures, lives partially in a fantasy world and who has been longing to win the Dukesberry All-Star Patch, awarded for contributions to the local society, for the past thirty-five years. Whitey believes that he can get Davey to change his ways. Davey is released into Whitey's custody and ordered to work as a trainee referee in Whitey's children's basketball league. He is told that he will be sent to prison for ten years if he drinks or commits any crime during the period of his community service.
Davey accompanies Whitey as he coaches basketball and as he does odd jobs around the town. Although Whitey is trying to help him, Davey takes every opportunity to humiliate and assault Whitey and to cause general disruption. Whitey takes Davey to his favorite place, the mall, a building to which he often talks. At the mall, Davey is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Jennifer Friedman, who now works there, and her son Benjamin. Whitey reminds Davey that he missed his opportunity with Jennifer twenty years earlier but Davey believes that he has a chance to get together with her again.
The trailer in which Davey lives is set on fire. He just has time to rescue his most treasured possession, an unopened Hanukkah card that his late parents sent him twenty years earlier, before the fire destroys the trailer completely. Having nowhere else to go, Davey moves in with Whitey Duval and his bald twin sister Eleanor. Davey finds that there are many rules that he has to follow at the Duval's house. Although he finds the rules annoying at first, Davey follows them and begins to turn his life around.
Whitey tells Eleanor the story of how, twenty years earlier, Davey and his team of other Jewish children won a basketball game during Hanukkah but how afterwards Davey was informed by the police that both of his parents had died in a car accident. Eleanor realizes that event caused Davey's descent into alcoholism and his troubled life and feels sorry for him. However, Davey does not want her sympathy and feels angry with Whitey for telling the story. He insults both Whitey and Eleanor. Whitey tells Davey that he has lost the right to live in his house.
Davey goes off and gets drunk. At night, he breaks into the mall, intending to speak to Jennifer, even though she is not there. The logos of the mall's various stores come to life and tell Davey that his troubles are due to the fact that he has never properly grieved for his parents. Davey is made to finally read the Hanukkah card from his parents which he had left unopened for twenty years. Davey reads a message from his mother and father which calls him a "wonderful son". He finally breaks down and cries.
The police arrive at the mall but Davey escapes arrest and boards a bus to New York. When one tack bursts all eight tires on the bus, Davey is reminded of the Hanukkah story, in which enough lamp oil for one day lasted for eight days. He decides to risk arrest, return to Dukesberry and attempt a reconciliation with Whitey.
The town's annual All-Star Banquet is being held that night. Whitey once again fails to win the All-Star Patch. He goes off unhappily, to talk to the mall. Davey arrives at the banquet. He anounces that he is unconcerned about being arrested but tells the people of the town that they have been mistreating Whitey for years and that he deserves better. The people of the town follow Whitey to the mall, he is presented with that years All-Star Patch and all of the previous years patches as well. Although he has another seizure, Whitey anounces that he is extremely happy and it is hinted that a relationship will begin between Davey and Jennifer.
Trailer
Fully licensed video from Fandom Video.