The Next Big Thing..."Sandy Wexler"

Sandy Wexler (2017)

TV-14

Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Hudson, Kevin James, Colin Quinn, Nick Swardson, Terry Crews

Directed by Steven Brill

The Story:

Sandy Wexler (Sandler) is a talent manager, not an agent! Back in the 90s, he discovered Courtney Clarke (Hudson) and wanted to make her the next Whitney or Mariah. Can the small-time manager succeed in hitting the big time?  This is their story.

For those of you that hate Adam Sandler, there's no doubt that you've likely quit reading this review already.

For those that love Adam Sandler, apparently we are the quiet minority in movies. Don't say it, because it will cause outrage and scorn.

However, it seems that Netflix has come up with the perfect solution and signed Adam Sandler to an original 4 picture deal that has just been extended to 4 more.

Why?

Because apparently between the Adam Sandler lovers and Adam Sandler haters is everyone else.

They watch Adam Sandler movies and then probably play dumb about it?

What? No, haven't seen anything by him since Happy Gilmore or The Wedding Singer.

Uh-huh.

We're on to you.

:)

Continually heralded as Netflix's most watched movies when they hit, Sandler offers up his 3rd Netflix Original, and it is easily the best of the 3.

You could argue it's also one of Sandler's best films in some time as well, period.

Wexler is based on Sandler's own manager, Sandy Wernick.

It's a loving tribute/roast and Sandler brings in many of his friends to play themselves as the story is told in flashback and they reminisce about Sandy's attempts in the 90s to be a big player in Hollywood with his eclectic band of talent (James, Quinn, Swardson & Crews).

It's when he finds Clarke that things seemingly take off for him.

Or at the very least, for her, and the rest of the movie concentrates on their relationship as she begins to become very popular and seemingly outgrows the need for a small-time manager.

But there is a very sweet center to this movie, and it's mentioned in the trailer:

An agent is business, but a manager is family.

And that heart shines through this film throughout as Wexler only wants the very best for his family.

It's not a laugh out loud comedy, though there are 2 or 3 genuine belly laughs to be had.

Instead, it's one you will smile along to, and be happy to enjoy, and by the time the credits roll, you'll be glad you came along for the ride.

Final Grade: B-

A Better Second Outing..."The Do-Over"

The Do-Over (2016)

Rated R

Starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Paula Patton, Heather Hahn, Nick Swardson, Luis Guzman

Directed by Steven Brill

The Story:

Charlie (Spade) is not living the life he envisioned for himself. When he runs into Max (Sandler) his best friend from high school at their reunion, the two reconnect and spend a weekend catching up. That weekend ends with Max faking their deaths in a boating accident and assuming the identities of two recently deceased people that nobody knows are dead. Which is great, because they suddenly have a great house and a ton of money at their disposal. However, when assassins come calling to kill the duo, they begin to realize that maybe they are in over their heads!

Okay, that's much better.

Still, a lot of room for improvement and humor to the films, but this is a drastic upgrade from The Ridiculous 6.

For starters, there was actually more than one funny moment in the film, so like I said, much better.

This is a return to the crude, R-rated Sandler pictures, which he gravitates between these and the family-friendly version of himself, so keep the kids away.

He and Spade, and everyone else for that matter, seem to be having a pretty good time making this one, so that's a plus as well.

The framework of the story is actually a really good one and had they taken out some of the crude jokes and just gone for funny, or even tried to make it an action-comedy, I think the results would be even better.

I don't want to spoil why the 2 other individuals get killed, but if the same storyline were starring anyone else, it could be a drama or thriller.

I would say that Netflix is probably much happier with this film than the first one that brings Sandler directly to the streaming service, except Netflix proudly proclaimed that The Ridiculous 6 was the most watched movie... ever.

And people say they don't like Adam Sandler films.

Netflix knows better.

:)

Let's hope the improvements keep coming, by the 4th film, we could have a best of the year contender.

Final Grade: C

Not Quite The Bite Of The First One..."Hotel Transylvania 2"

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Mel Brooks

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky

The Story:

Now that Mavis (Gomez) and Johnathan (Samberg) are married and have a little boy (Blinkoff), Dracula (Sandler) is hoping that he will turn into a vampire before he's 5 so that they will continue to live at the castle with him. It's looking unlikely though, and Mavis is beginning to ponder a life outside of the castle walls.

If you saw the trailer where Dracula lets his grandson fall from the very tall tower, then you know exactly what you're getting from this movie. Dracula wants to make sure his grandson is partially vampire, though everyone else has written him off as just another human.

So part 2 is essentially two road trip movies rolled into one as Dracula and the gang take the boy out on adventures while the happy couple look to see if Mavis can handle life out among the normals.

I really enjoyed the first one.

I also enjoyed the second one, maybe just a little less.

The jokes and characterizations for the first film were all new, so it was all a great new sense of fun.

This time around, you already know roughly what's going to happen, and there isn't a whole lot of surprise.

But don't take that as a negative.  Most sequels don't live up to the original.

The best bits are The Invisible Man (Spade) finding true love, and the genius casting of Vlad (Brooks) for the finale.

If you enjoyed the first film with your family, then this will be a cozy family reunion for you.

Final Grade: B-

How The West Wasn't Won..."The Ridiculous 6"

The Ridiculous 6 (2015)

Not Rated

Starring Adam Sandler, Terry Crews, Nick Nolte, Rob Schneider, Jorge Garcia, Taylor Lautner, Luke Wilson, Will Forte, Steve Zahn, Harvey Keitel, Danny Trejo, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Vanilla Ice,
Directed by Frank Coraci

The Story:

Tommy (Sandler) was raised by Indians after his mom died. When his father (Nolte) finally finds him after all these years, he is quickly taken away by Cicero (Trejo) to find the money that he thinks is his. Tommy goes after his dad and discovers that he has 5 brothers from other mothers and they ride into the West to get $50,000 in order to save their dad's life!

Wow, this one goes off the rails quickly and never fully recovers.

I'm usually the first in line to proclaim that an Adam Sandler isn't that bad.

However, for whatever reason, this movie starts off very slow, and very unfunny. There are amusing bits, but when you sign on for a movie like this, with this much talent on display, there needs to be laughs, not smiles when a joke or gag hits the screen.

Perhaps it is the legacy of Blazing Saddles that will forever make any western comedy feel something less than great, but a lot of this has to fall onto Sandler's shoulders as co-writer of this piece.

He's assembled a great cast, many of whom I don't mention in the credits above simply because of how many people are in this film for a bit part or larger.

The other is the running (or dragging) time of this film.

2 hours?!

No.

Comedies should clock in at 90, maybe 100 minutes. At nearly 120 minutes, most of them laugh free, that's interminable for a comedy.

Add to that the horribly annoying Taylor Lautner's Forrest Gump inspired idiot brother, I wanted to punch something just about any time he's on screen.

Which was way more often than he should have been. Which could have cut back the running time of the film considerably.

:)

That said, there are a few pieces that actually work in this film.

Most notable, John Turturro's arrival as Abner Doubleday who decides to create a little game, and proceeds to make up the rules as he goes along.

That scene is funny, and actually feels like how the rules of baseball were likely made up!

Plus, Vanilla Ice as a strangely inspired version of Mark Twain is ridiculous, but in a good way.

I want to give these guys a break, with the whole 4 picture exclusive to Netflix deal, but with a cast and crew that should know better, I think I'm going to have to downgrade this to a Turkey of the Year candidate.

Final Grade: D+

It's An Entire World Against Adam Sandler. He's Used To It. "Pixels"

Pixels (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan

Directed by Chris Columbus

The Story:

In the 1980s during an arcade championship, the action is recorded and sent into space as part of a time capsule of life in America should any alien life wonder what's going on down there. Now, they've come, and they took the recordings as an act of war! So it's up to Brenner (Sandler), Ludlow (Gad) and Eddie (Dinklage) to try and save the day at the request of the President of the United States (James) The stakes are high, because they will be battling the aliens and the first team to lose 3 lives, it's Game Over for real.

I've grown really tired over the years about people who complain an awful lot about Adam Sandler movies.

They aren't funny.
He's not funny.
He can't act.
They're stupid.

Give. Me. A. Break.

Or better yet, do better.

It's a free country, let's see what you've got.

If you don't find Adam Sandler to be funny, that's your right as a citizen of Planet Earth.  But to say his movies aren't funny or aren't any good is an absolute lie.

Some of the best times I've had watching movies with my family have featured Adam Sandler in them.

The Wedding Singer.

Billy Madison.

Bedtime Stories.

Mr. Deeds.

That's 4 off the top of my head.

While Pixels doesn't quite hit the level of those films, it was still a fun ride.

Watching the video games that we all played and loved as kids (and still do) come to life as an actual life-threatening device was pretty darn amusing in the grand scheme of things.

So really, Adam Sandler movie reviews are rather pointless in the grand scheme of things.

Either you're going to see it, or you're not.

Nothing will ever change your opinion, and I can't help it if more than half of America is wrong.

Seems like we already prove that every 4 years when we vote already.

:)

Final Grade: C+

Sole Man..."The Cobbler"

The Cobbler (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Sandler, Method Man, Steve Buscemi, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen Barkin

Written and Directed by Tom McCarthy

The Story:

Max (Sandler) is an old-fashioned cobbler who runs the shop his dad (Hoffman) left him. It's a family tradition that goes back seemingly forever. One day, Max needs to fix some shoes in a hurry for a customer (Method Man), but his machine breaks. He heads down to the basement and uses the old hand stitcher. However, when Max slips on the shoes, he uncovers an amazing family secret!

Well, for those that claim there is nothing on Netflix that they haven't streamed or seen already, I would challenge you with this film.

Granted, as it stars Adam Sandler, 85% of film goers have already fled to the hills.

That's a shame, as he really plays the part subdued and effectively.

Whether it's his best performance in years, as the hyperbole that often gets shouted with films like this, it is the most non-Sandler performance in ages.

There are several laughs throughout the film as Sandler gets to inhabit the bodies of those whose shoes were fixed at his shop.

But, there's also a touch for the dramatic as well as Max deals with the legacy left to him by his father, and all that it implies.

There's also other parts of the story as well, but I don't want to spoil everything!

Available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Third Times Isn't Quite As Charming..."Blended"

Blended (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, Joel McHale

Directed by Frank Coraci

The Story:

Jim (Sandler) and Lauren (Barrymore) go out on a blind date, and it ends horribly. However, fate keeps intervening and thrusting these two into each other. They wind up on an African safari together. Jim helps out Lauren's boys with some fatherly advice. Lauren tackles Jim's girls with some womanly know-how. It's inevitable, no matter how much either side fights at this point.

In 1994, it was movie magic when Sandler and Barrymore teamed up for The Wedding Singer.
In 2004, it was silly, but sweet, when they reunited for 50 First Dates.
In 2014, it's simply nostalgia to remind me to go watch The Wedding Singer again.

:)

That's not to say that Blended is bad. No, far from it.
It's safe.
It's comfortable.
It's... well, you know how to use a thesaurus. Pick something.

Barrymore and Sandler still share a warm chemistry with one another.

At this point however, you almost have to inject kids into the storyline to allow something new for these decades-spanning lovebirds to do.

So, nothing as great as their first pairing, but still enough warm smiles, fond memories and a chuckle or three, many thanks to the always manic Terry Crews.

Hopefully they have something magical in 2024 when they reunite again.
 
Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Maybe I'll pick it up someday, but no hurry. Maybe when they team up again in a decade?

How Sweet To Fall In Love Again Every Morning..."50 First Dates"

50 First Dates (2004)
Rated PG-13 for language and situations

Starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Blake Clark

Directed by Peter Segal

The Story:

Henry Roth (Sandler) loves the ladies, but hates the commitment.  So he lives a life in Hawaii of love 'em, and send 'em back to the mainland.  But then he meets Lucy (Barrymore) and the two hit it off.  In fact, Henry thinks he could possibly be in love.  When he meets Lucy again, she blows him off like she doesn't even know him.  That's when we discover that Lucy was in an accident that robs her of any memories since the day of the accident.  How far is Roth willing to go to prove his love to Lucy?

In 1994, Sandler and Barrymore teamed up for the instant classic, The Wedding Singer.  It was a very funny romantic comedy that just sparkled all the way through, thanks to the great chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore.

Ten years later, the duo reunited, and while it didn't achieve the results of their first collaboration, it wasn't too bad.

The jokes are more crude and less sweet this go-round, so that has squashed the replay value in the house.

Which is a real shame, because the love story is one of the sweetest to watch unfold.

While Lucy's family goes through elaborate measures to ensure Lucy adjusts as easily as possible to her memory loss, it's Henry who chooses to stick around and endure the daily heartbreak of losing the love of his life.

In the end, Lucy lets Henry go, because she knows it's unfair to keep him tied down to her and her accident.

But no love story can end that badly, and what follows may actually bring a tear to your eyes.

I know it gets me every time.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, but again, it doesn't get nearly the airplay as the first team up.

Today On The Zander Kelly Show..."Joe Dirt" !!

Joe Dirt (2001)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller, Adam Beach, Christopher Walken

Directed by Dennie Gordon

The Story:

The story of Joe Dirt (Spade) as related across the airwaves when he becomes a guest on the Zander Kelly (Miller) show.  Joe relates how he was abandoned at the Grand Canyon as a kid, and has made his way in life, trying to find his family.  The obvious victim of ridicule on the show and in life, a strange thing happens as he tells the tale of his life, and the city becomes enamored with Joe and his search for family, and love, with Brandi (Daniel) the girl with a heart of gold.

How is it that I've never reviewed this movie before?

Okay, I imagine there are two types of people reactions when the movie Joe Dirt is mentioned.

Those that recoil in horror at the thought of this, or any movie, starring any former Saturday Night Live cast member, especially named David Spade or Adam Sandler.

And those that recognize this movie as the Citizen Kane of Trailer Trash movies.

:)

I feel bad for that first group, because they are blindly judging a movie the second group understands that start to finish, this movie is flat-out funny.

Infinitely quotable, I defy you to find a fan of this film that can't quote you at least one of the hilarious Dirt-isms of the film at a moment's notice.

The movie is peppered with wonderful supporting characters from the obvious (Walken) to the inspired (Kid Rock) that you might not expect in a movie like this.

So sit back, and just let the Joe Dirt-iness wash over you.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it. Love it.

There Are Worse Times To Be Had... "Grown Ups 2"

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

PG-13 for language

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello

Directed by Dennis Dugan

The Story:

Lenny (Sandler) decided that he enjoyed visiting home so much a few years back, that's the place to move the wife (Hayek) and kids.  They can grow up around friends and family and maybe have a bit of normalcy.  However, with a small town full of friends and former rivals, how normal can things really be?

Okay, let's be fair.

The first Grown Ups was a pretty cute movie overall.  Nothing ground-breaking or earth-shattering, but it was funny enough and I had a good time watching it, and so did most of the family.

Picked it up when Blockbuster was going out of business, and I have no regrets.

I'm a fan of Adam Sandler, and for the most part, I enjoy more of his movies than I dislike.

Now, with Grown Ups 2, that family-friendly aspect, which was questionable at best before, gets pushed slightly beyond acceptable this time around.

Blame the inclusion of Nick Swardson.

Or Dan Patrick's skimpy shorts.

: /

Swardson has his moments...in other movies... but lately whatever I've seen him in, he's becoming more cringeworthy with every performance.

However this film does not deserve the label of "worst movie ever" or "worst" anything label.

It's simply another typical effort from Sandler that aims for the lowest common denominator for the jokes.

And yes, for every groan-inducing cringe, there are some justifiably funny moments throughout the film.

Why, there's even a bit of a heart-felt message in the final act as old rivalries are ended and some relationships are rekindled.

So again, while not great, it's also not an abomination of film.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't see this one joining the original in the library.

Some Family-Friendly "Bedtime Stories" For The Weekend

Bedtime Stories (2008)
Rated PG

Starring Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Courteney Cox

Directed by Adam Shankman

The Story:

Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) grew up in the Sunny Vista Motel that was started by his dad and then bought by millionaire, Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths).  The promise was made that Skeeter could someday run the hotel, but apparently Barry has forgotten as he has promised when the hotel is remodeled, it will be run by Kendall (Pearce) instead.  On top of that, the new site, unbeknownst to Skeeter, is on the site of the school where his sister (Cox) is the principal.  She needs to head to Arizona to find a job, so she has Skeeter watch her two kids, and her co-worker Jill (Russell) will split time with him.  Skeeter tells the kids some fun bedtime stories when he puts them to bed, and the kids add to his fantastic tales.  But when the stories begin to come true, exactly like they said the night before, Skeeter realizes that he still has a chance to run the hotel, if he can just shape the stories appropriately.

Not your typical Adam Sandler movie, right?

Nope, not when it's released by Disney.

However, this continued  a trend of more family friendly Sandler films that are actually sweet enough, and funny, that they are worth seeing with the entire family.

Is That A Rat on My Head?

Originally seen a few years ago after it had come out, this movie remained on our wish list for years, always hard to justify a $20 price tag on some of those Disney films that just never went down in price.

Ah, but when your local Blockbuster goes out of business, suddenly films that had always been just off the radar come back on, and get picked up for a  bargain price.

Welcome to the library!

Which in the intervening years since 2008, it was checked out about every year by my daughter from the local library so she could watch it.

Now I've saved her a few steps!

Watched again, and yes, it was still as cute and fun as I remember from 2008.

The situations become more absurd with each story, and Skeeter risks ruining the relationship he is building with the kids when he does snap at them in anger when they change the ending to one of his tales.

Have I Not Entertained You?

Brand gives a hysterical performance as Skeeter's best friend.  He livens up all of the scenes that he is in, and he plays a pivotal part in the climax of the film.

Overall this is a very cute movie with a wonderful message about the joys of childhood and the way kids see life.


Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I finally got it, and I wouldn't be surprised if this gets a replay at least once a year. :)

The Movie is "Bulletproof", But is it Critic Proof?

 
Is there a better word to describe Adam Sandler's movie career? : )

The Story:

Two criminals, Keats (Damon Wayans) and Moses (Adam Sandler) are working for drug lord Frank Coltan (James Caan).  However, Keats is an undercover cop, and Moses accidentally shoots him in the head during a shoot out.  Keats survives and gets a metal plate in his head.  He can neither forgive or forget, and imagine how happy he is when he learns that he must protect Moses when Coltan orders a hit on him.  Can Keats get him to safety, or will he wind up dead this time?

I'd seen about 10 total minutes from this film over the last 17 years.

Coming out in 1996, this is probably the forgotten movie in Sandler's career.

Possibly because he was just a co-star, versus the star of the film.

Or maybe because compared to the movies that surrounded it:  Billy Madison before, Happy Gilmore at the same time, the Wedding Singer afterward, it's easy to get lost in that shuffle.

There's nothing wrong with this movie though, it's just one that definitely doesn't fit the mold of what Sandler was putting out at the time, though much of his schtick comes through during the film.

Instead, he is given the buddy cop formula to play in, and he does his part rather well.

Oddly, these movies normally work best when you have a straight man as the partner, not another comedian.  Wayans has to reel himself in for the role, and it's probably to the detriment of the movie that he isn't allowed to be as funny since he is the cop.

It's a minor quibble, but there you have it.

Otherwise, pretty enjoyable film that was worth finally seeing the whole thing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability Purchase Factor: While I own a lot of Sandler's films, I don't know that this one is in any hurry to be added to the library.

Too Rainy For the Real Thing...Watch "The Zookeeper" Instead

They say it's all happening at the zoo...

The Story:

Griffin (Kevin James) is a zookeeper.  He has been moping over his girlfriend (Leslie Bibb) turning his marriage proposal down for the last 5 years.  Suddenly she is back in his life, and that's when the animals at the zoo decide they've had enough, and decide to help Griffin win his lady love.  So naturally they start talking to Griffin and giving him pointers.  Will they succeed in reuniting the pair, or will love work in mysterious ways and Griffin realize that the woman (Rosario Dawson) he really deserves is right under his nose?

Should I start off by saying that I thought this movie was funny?

Did I disappoint too  many people?

:)

Well too bad, because I did, and it is.

I am always a fan of movies that I can watch with all of my kids, and this is one of them.

Sure, talking animals can get old, but the voice work from the movie is really good, and the animatronics and CGI aren't too far-fetched or annoying to watch.  You've got Adam Sandler, Cher, Sylvester Stallone and Nick Nolte as the main vocal talents who work to teach Griffin to be a better man to win the love of his lady.

The antics that James puts himself through are great, especially for a guy of his size.  He's the next version of Belushi or Farley as a bigger comedian  who enjoys physical comedy.  However, thankfully, he's also not burning himself out on drugs, so hopefully we can enjoy a much longer career from him.

So yes, add this to Paul Blart and Here Comes the Boom and you have a winning Kevin James film marathon to enjoy.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: High on both counts, as I already own it and it's been seen several times at my house already.

Welcome to the "Hotel Transylvania"

How far would you go to keep your child safe from harm?


The Story:

Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) is raising his baby girl all alone.  He wants to make sure that the humans can never harm his precious little girl.  He goes to great lengths to build the safest, most secure castle of all time to keep his sweetheart safe.  But on the eve of her 118th birthday, all of the monsters have come to the castle to attend the annual party that he throws.  The Invisible Man (David Spade) the Wolfman (Steve Buscemi) and his family as well as Frankenstein (Kevin James) and many others drop by to pay their best wishes to Mavis (Selena Gomez).  Her biggest wish is to go out and see the world and see what life is really like out there.  Can humans be as awful as her dad makes them out to be?  Her mom did fall in love with Dracula after all.  So when a human (Andy Samberg) stumbles onto the castle, his very existence threatens the very fabric of all that Dracula has held dear for the last century.


The fact that it's an animated film will scare off most people unless they have kids, then they will wonder, "is it safe for kids?"

The answer to that is: Yes, unless your kid is scared of cartoon monsters.

That Adam Sandler is in it will likely scare off the rest.

Fair enough, he's not everyone's cup of tea.

However, as my loyal audience of readers and my family know, I love Adam Sandler.  I will give just about every movie he does a fair chance, and more often than not, I've enjoyed the films in question.

This one is one of the more enjoyable ones.


Remember the review for "That's My Boy" where I said that Sandler was trying to prove that he could still do R Rated material with the best of them, but that he really tried to hard?

This is the opposite.  He confines himself to PG family humor, and the effect is a heart-warming crowd-pleaser that works.

Why?

It's a love story.

Forget that, it's actually several love stories, rolled into one.

You have the love of a father for his daughter.
You have the love of a husband for his wife.
You have the love of a daughter for her father, yet wanting to grow up and be seen as an adult.
Then you have a love story of boy meeting girl...

And finding out the girl of your dreams is a vampire.

But it works.  It's fun, filled with sight gags and verbal puns galore.

Enjoyed the film, and combine this one with ParaNorman, and I've got a good Halloween double feature of kids films to enjoy this upcoming Halloween season.


Final Grade: B+
Worth Adding to the DVD Collection: Absolutely

Yo Vanilla, Kick it One Time...."That's My Boy!"

There are two types of movie watchers:

Those that hate Adam Sandler movies, and those that don't.

I am definitely in the camp of the latter, and have seen almost every film Adam Sandler has starred in.

And for the most part, I've enjoyed them all.

The plot:

Donny Berger has a crush on his high school teacher.  The teacher reciprocates, and 9 months later, Donny is a daddy, and his love is behind bars.  So Donny attempts to raise a child, but isn't the best dad ever.  The son leaves, and wants nothing to do with his father.

Fast forward nearly 30 years later, and Donny needs some money.  His fleeting fame from back in the day is just about all cashed out, and he's facing prison.  Luckily, his son seems to be well to do, and a sleazy Jerry Springer type is offering Donny the money he needs if he can reunite the whole family at the women's prison before the end of the weekend.



Over the last few years, many of Sandler's films have been edging into family fare, so Sandler apparently wanted to show the world that he can still drop F Bombs with the rest of the world, and attempted to make a raunchier film than he has in a while.  I guess he doesn't want to lose the market on the genre.

So where does this film stack up in the pantheon of cinematic treasures that Adam Sandler has given us?

It's not his worst film, that honor still belongs to Punch Drunk Love.  Yeah, the only film that critics have liked, was boring... zzzzz...

: )

This falls right in the middle.  Funny, but not hilarious.

In fact, I'd give this one the antithesis of The Wedding Singer.

That film was a great film, that was pushed over the top with the inclusion of Billy Idol, playing himself, to put the icing on the cake and make the movie perfect.

This one takes a middling idea, and the inclusion of Vanilla Ice, playing himself, salvages the movie and actually makes it worth watching.

Little Nicky still remains Sandler's least funny starring vehicle after he had made it big.    I could see watching it again in a few years, but this wouldn't be one that would be watched by me more than once a year.

Rental...not a purchase.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 16 ~ The Wedding Singer

Movie-makers take note...

If you want to make a chick flick that guys will go to, make it funny.

Today's movie is Adam Sandler's finest film.  That is a sentence you won't hear many movie reviewers make!

For those that haven't seen it:

Robbie Hart (Sandler) is a local wedding singer.  He's talented and fun, and can keep the party going no matter what happens.  But when he's left at the altar, his entire universe explodes.  Luckily, the new waitress, Julia (Drew Barrymore) is there along with his friends to try and cheer him up.  Julia is planning her wedding, and getting Robbie's help brings him back from the brink.  But what does he do when he begins having feelings for Julia?

I told you I'm a sucker for romantic comedies.  And I'll watch every Adam Sandler movie, at least once.

This one, I've watched way more than once! : )

Sandler and Barrymore have a sweet chemistry together in the movie.  As the movie unfolds, you see them falling in love, and naturally you know how the movie ends, but it's fun to watch them get to that point.

It helps that Glenn Guglia is a complete jerk who you can't believe is going to marry sweet little Julia.

Julia Guglia?  Ick!!!

Of course, there is the Jon Lovitz factor to help push this movie to the top.  His brief cameo is hilarious.

However, you have to give credit for the finale to Billy Idol.

If you're casting a movie, set in the 80s, and you need someone to play Billy Idol... you cast Billy Idol!!  Sandler did, and the ending is all the more hilarious because of it. : )