Tag: Adam Sandler

“Sandy Wexler”

LOUISA: 1.5 STARS

LOUISA SAYS:

When an Adam Sandler movie has a runtime of over two hours, it’s a matter of course that it will long overstay its welcome. “Sandy Wexler,” the latest Netflix original film from the former SNL funnyman, runs out of steam very, very quickly. This is the worst kind of comedy: one that’s devoid of laughs.

Sandler plays the titular good hearted yet incompetent talent manager who manages to all but ruin the careers of his clients. The story is set in the 1990s, so get ready for reference jokes about the fashion, music, and entertainment industry during that time (including giant cell phones, the Atkins diet, and Arsenio Hall). He has a rag-tag roster of clients, including a ventriloquist (Kevin James), an unskilled wrestler (Terry Crews), a lousy comedy writer (Colin Quinn), and a stuntman (Nick Swardson). When Sandy signs a theme park singer with stars in her eyes (Jennifer Hudson), he falls in love.

Sandler uses a goofy voice that makes it feel as though he’s doing a subpar impression of Billy Madison and the waterboy. Sandy’s signature laugh is a charming quirk, but there’s no real purpose to speaking in a comedic voice. The long list of random celebrity cameos (set up as a fake roast of Sandy) comes across as more gimmicky than fun, and Hudson truly deserves this year’s Razzie award for the worst acting performance of the year as a Whitney Houston wannabe. Her delivery is so strained and awkward that I could swear she was being forced to read her lines at gunpoint. It’s not a so-bad-it’s-funny performance, it’s just so awful it’s sad.

There’s one major obstacle that the movie can’t overcome, and that’s the fact that it’s simply not entertaining nor very funny. There are a handful of jokes that land and while some of them are quite inspired, most are strained and unfunny. Even the idea isn’t amusing in the least. Thank the film gods for Swardson’s inept daredevil because he’s the only remotely funny aspect of this movie.

As with most of Sandler’s recent work, the story has a sweet and heartfelt tone and ending. It’s not really out of place here, but it also doesn’t exactly feel earned or authentic. In a word, it’s lazy.

“The Do-Over”

LOUISA: 1.5 STARS

LOUISA SAYS:

In the latest made-for-Netflix movie “The Do-Over,” Adam Sandler and David Spade make a great onscreen buddy duo. Their brash and snarky personalities clash in a way that works. The movie is not good and is ultimately forgettable, but it’s also quite watchable, not half bad, and nowhere near as awful as people are going to lead you to believe.

Spade plays pitiful Charlie, a total loser who runs into old high school buddy Max (Sandler) at their 25th class reunion. In an attempt to escape their dull lives and reinvent themselves, the two devise a plan to assume other dead mens’ identities. Turns out those other men are involved in some seriously shady stuff and Charlie and Max now find themselves chased by a team of assassins and paired up with a widow (the reliably horrible Paula Patton).

The evil drug company plot is a little hard to follow but the twists and turns are interesting enough to keep you guessing. The storyline in this film surprised me, and I didn’t see where it was going. There’s not much gross out humor; instead it’s more subdued and some of the comedy is even — dare I say it — inspired. As with most Sandler projects, the movie ends its laughs with a big heart. It’s worth your time if you are a fan of Sandler, but others would be wise to skip it.

Matt was unavailable for review.