I am convinced that more than one film buff would be able to say that all the comedies headed by Adam Sandler are bad. It is an idea that to a certain extent can be understood given the level that several of his works have exhibited -I still get chills when I remember ‘Jack and his twin’ (‘Jack and Jill’)-, but among all of them they are not so few are those that are worth it to a greater or lesser extent.
Having become one of the most successful actors on Netflix, we wanted to review his career. Below you will find 11 Comedies Starring Adam Sandler That Aren’t Bad Movies, in which I have chosen to leave out those in which I have a secondary role or a mere special appearance. Without more to add except to remind you that it is only my personal opinion, I leave you with them.
‘Terminagolf’ (‘Happy Gilmore’, 1996)
One of the actor’s first great successes was this comedy about the world of golf in which the particular personality of his character turns the world of this sport upside down. It’s not that it’s especially original, but it’s hooked, largely thanks to Sandler himself, who knows how to take over the show by sniffing at it and causing more than one laugh from the viewer.
‘The ideal boy’ (‘The Wedding Singer’, 1998)
The movie that ended up putting Sandler on the map for many viewers. Offering a fun twist on the typical romantic comedies, ‘The Ideal Guy’ is greatly benefited by the remarkable chemistry between the actor and drew Barrymore and for a good job of setting, from the soundtrack to other nods to that eighties air that it has. Of course, it does not take long for a few clichés to appear and the outcome is going to be improved.
‘Intoxicated with love’ (‘Punch Drunk Love’, 2002)
Here it would be more appropriate to talk about a film of Paul Thomas Anderson instead of Sandler, but it would be sacrilege to leave her out even if I’m not as passionate as others. We could describe it as an attempt to dismantle the commonplaces of romantic comedy by telling a romance between two atypical characters between whom a most eccentric connection emerges. Of course, do not expect it to be anything like the typical Adam Sandler comedy.
Criticism of “Drunk with love”
‘Spanglish’ (2004)
It falls far short of the best works of James L. Brooks, but Sandler is quite effective in a kinder role without giving up the comic, and his chemistry with Paz Vega helps make his excessive footage less of a problem. In fact, it is the well-known ability of Brooks to create good dialogues -although here there are some sentences that squeak a bit- and to manage the actors -also watch out for a very inspired Chloris Leachman– which makes its other weaknesses -that ending- bother less.
’50 first dates’ (’50 First Dates’, 2004)
My favorite movie of all those in which Sandler has appeared. Here he meets Barrymore again to give us a story with a more romantic cut in which there are precisely certain comic excesses with a marked tendency to scatology that I wish had not been included. It is a very pleasant tape and, above all, charming, transmitting a warmth that I would compare to that of a hug from a loved one when you are a little down.
‘Click’ (2006)
A magnificent premise whose script is very, very far from knowing how to express it properly. If you only stay with that, the disappointment is going to be huge, but things change if you look at what you are really looking for: A curious comedy with dramatic touches that balances with a certain ease between both genres without smelling like anything. rotten. Definitely, a pleasant pastime that gave for much morebut what is also worth it.
‘Zohan: License to comb’ (‘You Don’t Mess with the Zohan’, 2008)
Sandler’s excessive comedy with which I enjoyed the most, with a stimulating touch of parody and a more frenetic pace than usual that helps one to overlook the gags that don’t work -which are a few-. It also has a fairly effective point of satire, although some will simply stay with its broad-based humor, which, yes, also gives rise to several hilarious scenes.
‘Make me laugh’ (‘Funny People’, 2009)
A proposal with two differentiated halves, the first offering a stimulating dramatic vision of the comedian’s trade, capable of making the rest fall apart despite the fact that he himself is far from achieving happiness. It then follows more obvious paths that stretch the footage too long, testing the patience of the viewer, who is likely to end up switching off at one point or another. That is one of the things that reveals the presence of judd apatowa filmmaker who almost always exceeds himself in one way or another by managing proposals that sounded better on paper.
Review of “Make Me Laugh”
‘Pixels’ (2015)
An update of ‘Ghostbusters’ (‘Ghostbusters’) -if you compare it with the female remake, I assure you that you will find many points in common- in which Sandler gets back into the role of immature “charming” -the second is left to the judgment of each one- that he manages to overcome himself to try to recover the girl he loves. The difference here is the context with the invasion of aliens with the image of famous video game characters, but what remains the same is their sense of humor. Acceptable.
‘Sandy Wexler’ (2017)
This production for Netflix is a kind of declaration of love both to his former agent and to many of his friends. The central plot is not much and uses many common points in her career, but everything that surrounds her has a curious charm that makes her viewing more pleasant. It also has some very funny scenes -I prefer especially those of Terry Crews as a wrestling fighter.
Criticism of ‘Sandy Wexler’
‘Claw’ (‘Hustle’, 2022)
A sports film about the world of basketball in which the drama of a talent scout who discovers a player (played by the Spanish Juancho Hernangomez) plenty of talent but that will have a difficult time trying to fulfill his dream in the NBA with the comic section, more focused on the effective relationship that arises between the two. With a good job of his protagonists, it is true that he treads too much on the safe side of the plot, but the key is to present it in a way that flows and conquers the viewer, something that he more than achieves.
Criticism of ‘Claw’
In Espinof | The 27 best comedies in the history of cinema and where you can see them