In The Cobbler, renowned actor Adam Sandler returns in unusual fashion. Teaming up with producer Tom McCarthy, Sandler has attempted to combine milder humor with a lesson in morality.

The movie revolves around main character Max Simkin (Sandler), a Jewish cobbler in the heart of New York City. Indifferent to the career that life has put before him, and the people who cross his path, he appears melancholic. This completely changes when Max discovers the mystical powers of his father’s stitching machine. After mending shoes with the machine, one can magically assume the identity of the shoe’s owner. Using the shoes as a key to adventure, Max heads out into the city for some excitement. Naturally, he succumbs to mischievous acts and gets trapped in sticky situations.It is only at the very end of the movie when Max has a change of heart, and uses his powers to do good. The experience truly teaches him what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes…literally.

While the initial idea of the movie was clever, its execution was not. Following a slow and drawn out opening, producer Tom McCarthy shifts the focus of the movie towards Max’s initial abuse of the shoes. Max’s use of the shoes to dodge paying bills, hooking up with women, following friends, and mixing up with crime and revenge is where the movie seeks the most amusement from its audience. However, it doesn’t give the viewer much to walk away with. The movie lacks a true plot. Leaning on stereotypes certainly isn’t admirable either. It’s difficult not to notice that Sandler portrays all of his African American actors as vile, abusive, and members of organized crime. At a time when Native American actors walked off the set of Sandler’s new movie, “The Ridiculous Six”, over offense at stereotypical material in the script, this sort of thing is becoming an alarming trend.

The Cobbler stars Sandler at his tamest, with his usual over-the-top comedy kept in check. To some, that might normally be a good thing. However, one can’t help but feel that Sandler may have had his leash on too tight during the production of this movie. It simply doesn’t feel like Sandler anymore. Considering many of his most recent movies have flopped, it isn’t a stretch to think that age might be getting to the actor.

Overall, The Cobbler is a solid movie that steals a laugh here-and-there. At the same time, it leaves one with something left to be desired.