The first international trailer for director Thomas McCarthy’s (The Station Agent) fantasy drama The Cobbler has been released online, and it’s certainly something.  The film stars Adam Sandler as a disillusioned shoe repairman who happens upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see things from their perspective.  The project had a lot of promise given McCarthy’s resume (Win Win, The Visitor) and Sandler's return to more dramatic material, but it premiered to almost astoundingly bad reviews at TIFF and this trailer makes it look like one of those joke movies from Funny People.  Obviously the premise is tricky to pull off in a convincing manner, but boy does this look like a misfire.  That probably explains why it still hasn’t acquired domestic distribution.

Watch the first The Cobbler trailer for yourself after the jump, and check out Steve’s interviews with Sandler & McCarthy and Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Ellen Barkin from TIFF.  The Cobbler also stars Melonie Diaz, Dan Stevens, Fritz Weaver, Yul Vazquez, Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman.

Via Voltage Pictures.

Here’s a synopsis for The Cobbler:

THE COBBLER is a warm and character-driven comedy that plays to the strengths of Adam Sandler’s and Thomas McCarthy's most commercial successes. Sandler plays a 4th generation shoe-maker who discovers a magical sewing machine in his father’s basement that allows him to transform into other people by wearing their shoes. Similar in theme to Tom Hanks' BIG, TRADING PLACES, and 13 GOING ON 30, THE COBBLER provides the perfect vehicle for Sandler to exhibit his endearing and selfless boyish charm, taking him on a voyage of self-discovery and learning the importance of family via the magic of “walking a mile in another man’s shoes.” A journey that results not only in changing himself, but the world around him.