“The Cobbler,” written by Tom McCarthy, was a film that had the makings of something truly unique. Adam Sandler plays a cobbler, Max, who is pretty tired of his mundane job and life. One day, while working on a pair of shoes for a thug named Ludlow, played by Method Man, Max’s machine breaks. To avoid Ludlow’s wrath, Max goes into the shop’s basement to find his grandfather’s machine. Thankfully it works!
While waiting for Ludlow to come back, Max gets bored and tries on his shoes. He is shocked when he sees Ludlow’s face staring back at him in the mirror. The old machine adds a magical quality to shoes. Max proceeds to repair as many shoes as possible and gets into a lot of awkward and problematic situations running around looking like the various owners.
Sandler’s long time acting cohort Steve Buscemi plays the barber next door. Their onscreen chemistry is usually a good mix. With “The Cobbler’s” more serious tone though, their typical antics come off as tacky. Melonie Diaz plays a potential love interest, Carmen, but the two characters actually share very little screen time. Ultimately the plot was underdeveloped.