'Mr. Deeds' (PG-13) (out of four)

Adam Sandler has crafted a hugely successful movie career by playing nitwits. He aggressively adds another character to his numbskull niche in "Mr. Deeds," a remake of Frank Capra's 1936 classic "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town."

Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) is an eccentric small-town pizza shop owner and deliveryman who writes greeting card poems on the side. When his uncle dies, Deeds inherits a $40 billion fortune and media empire.

When Deeds goes to New York to handle company business, a conniving partner (Peter Gallagher) schemes to grab control. Meanwhile, a tabloid TV reporter (Winona Ryder) cozies up to Deeds and lies to gain his confidence so she can nab exclusive stories about this mysterious rags-to-riches country bumpkin.

The original "Mr. Deeds" explored the themes of trust and betrayal, integrity and corruption with wit and subtlety. Gary Cooper played Deeds as a simple man, grounded with decency, common sense and small-town values. He was unsophisticated, but nobody's fool.

Contrast that with Sandler's portrayal. He plays the character as he does almost all his roles: An affable boob with a violent streak. That well-worn persona worked in movies such as "Happy Gilmore" and "The Waterboy," but it's annoying and out of place in "Mr. Deeds."

Director Steven Brill ("Little Nicky") had plenty of potentially funny raw material to work with, but he goes for the cheap laugh almost every time.

For instance, there's a scene where some New York snobs insult Deeds in a fancy restaurant. Does he zing them back with a witty barb or well-crafted gag? Nah, he beats them up and lays waste to the restaurant. And, there's also the scene from the movie's trailer about Deeds' foot being black with frostbite -- that's stomped on and impaled with a with a fireplace poker.

"Mr. Deeds" has some talented actors, but they're miscast and misused. The one actor who manages to rise above the dredge is John Turturro as a sneaky Spanish butler with a knack for popping up unexpectedly, then disappearing just as quickly. It's the one running gag that works, and Turturro can look back at this mess with his head held high.

Diehard Sandler fans and the middle school crowd will ensure that "Mr. Deeds" has a big opening weekend.

You'd be better off renting the far superior original and staying home. This "Mr. Deeds" is a dud. --Dave McGuigan