Why are Adam Sandler movies so unambitious and consistently bad? For the past 20-plus years, the Saturday Night Live veteran has run his own entertainment company, Happy Madison Productions, which has a reputation for making accessible comedies with questionable humor and predictable gags. Sandler is a capable actor who knows the industry inside and out, which makes Happy Madison's formulaic collaborations with Netflix so disappointing.
Sandler's most visceral and enduring films released before he founded Happy Madison Productions. After starring in the hilariously simple-minded comedy Billy Madison, the Sandman teased his promising future with the 1996 golf movie Happy Gilmore, a film that established the former SNL star as a viable lead actor. With The Wedding Singer, written by frequent collaborator Tim Herlihy, Sandler stepped up his game opposite Drew Barrymore and displayed his versatility and vulnerability as a performer. Two decades later, it's that sense of character authenticity that's missing from Happy Madison Productions.
In Big Daddy, a pre-Happy Madison movie, Sandler fused his brand of zany comedy with a relatable story about parenting and self-doubt. And then he began producing his own movies. Within five years, Sandler and company had six big hits (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Animal, Mr. Deeds, The Master of Disguise, Anger Management, 50 First Dates), just two flops (Little Nicky, Eight Crazy Nights), and three moderate successes (Joe Dirt, The Hot Chick, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star). Over the next 10 years, Happy Madison Productions was similarly predictable with accessible content and unpredictable with their ambition. Since teaming up with Netflix in 2015, many of Sandler's films have been downright embarrassing, yet remain popular amongst subscribers. So, what message does that send to informed movie fans who expect more from the Sandman? Happy Madison's Netflix era reveals that they're content with receiving big paychecks, keeping the gang together, and re-hashing old and often lazy jokes for a world of Netflix streamers who value familiarity and nostalgia over innovation and creativity.
The 2020 film Hubie Halloween exemplifies Happy Madison's unambitious creative approach. Once again, Sandler plays a dim-witted and mumbling fellow who's essentially a modern version of the SNL character Canteen Boy. In a 2020 interview (via The A.V. Club), Sandler describes Hubie as "very Canteen-y" and makes a telling statement when noting the major difference between the characters: Canteen Boy has a canteen, and Hubie has a thermos. Sandler essentially admits that they're the same character, but doesn't acknowledge that he's just re-cycling comedy for a new generation and devoted fans who still enjoy characters that mumble, scream, and move awkwardly. In Hubie Halloween, Sandler provides a caricature of his pop culture persona, and then incorporates convenient call-backs to mid-'90s films like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. The overall quality is much better than clunkers like The Ridiculous 6 and The Do-Over, but Hubie Halloween makes is painfully clear that Sandler is preparing to rely more on legacy and nostalgia than narratives that have something deeper to say about life, love, or loss.
Happy Madison films don't suffer from Sandler's need to always include his friends and family. In fact, Sandler may even believe that the collective familial element grounds his comedies with heart. But there's a difference between assembling the usual crew for wacky yet entertaining narratives and investing time in the occasional script that deviates from the norm. Sandler's career is in some ways underrated, since he's shown he is capable of delivering moving performances in dramatic films (like Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems); audiences assume Happy Madison productions shouldn't be taken too seriously, but perhaps it's time to surprise modern moviegoers with a different perspective, or at least a creative approach that doesn't involve working from a checklist. Adam Sandler is doing just fine, and his films are ideal for locked-down streamers who just want to laugh for 90 minutes. But as the industry continues to evolve, Happy Madison should occasionally prioritize a narrative that feels authentic to modern culture.