We're still not sure what to make of upcoming Adam Sandler vehicle The Cobbler. Very few details of the plot have been released, except that Sandler plays a shoe repairman who insinuates himself into the lives of his customers. And that could just as easily be a lowbrow, goofball comedy like The Waterboy as it could a subtle, nuanced film like Punch-Drunk Love.
On the one hand, the film is helmed by The Station Agent director Tom McCarthy. On the other, it's described in this casting notice as a comedy. On the first hand again, the cast now includes serious acting heavyweights Dustin Hoffman and Steve Buscemi. Now over to the second hand again, the cast also includes master thespian Method Man. And on the third hand, Buscemi has appeared in some of Sandler's least-serious work, and although Hoffman is a dependable source of top-quality, dramatic moviemaking, there's also a certain Wonder Emporium on his résumé.
So, get ready for Adam Sandler in either a drama or comedy that will either be surprisingly good or predictably terrible, and either a step up for Sandler, or a step down for everyone else. It's Schrödinger's Sandler movie.