Adam Sandler has his fair share of haters, to the point where it seems like he always has an uphill battle when he puts out a movie. The hate seemed to come full force when he inked his first movie deal with streaming giant Netflix, churning out what many consider to be the dumpster fire version of Hollywood. Love him or hate him, Adam Sandler is a multi-talented dude, and the recent hit drama Uncut Gems is proof he can really act as well. He voiced his Oscar snub in an interview saying he would put out the worst movie ever on purpose purely out of spite - but I am pleased to say this is not that movie.
Hubie Halloween tells the story of Hubie Dubois, a Salem man who embodies everything that we all love about Halloween. Unfortunately for Hubie, his genuinely kind demeanor, and the fact that he is a grown man living with his mother, tends to rub people the wrong way. But this year things are different, and the town of Salem, MA, will need Hubie to save Halloween.
As is the case with most of Sandler's movies released under his Happy Madison Productions umbrella, the cast is absolutely stacked. The all-star cast includes many of his regulars, and a few welcome additions, including Kevin James, Julie Bowen, June Squibb, Maya Rudolph, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Michael Chiklis, and Kenan Thompson. The film also features co-stars Tim Meadows, and Shaquille O’Neal. Little Nicky director Steven Brill is behind the camera, with Sandler co-writing the script with Tim Herlihy.
The fact of the matter is this, Hubie Halloween is MUCH better than these out of touch critics or Adam Sandler haters want you to believe, and I am not the least bit surprised that it has become one of his most successful movies. It's almost like they take personal offense to the fact that the guy has a blast making movies, which is baffling to me. His usual co-stars consistently come out and say that working on his movies are like partying with friends for weeks at a time – and that sounds damn good to me. If you take the time to read what people are saying, it seems to be an influx of "it's bearable" or "not bad for an Adam Sandler movie".
Well feel free to tell those washed up and jealous losers to go pound sand, I know I will. Hubie Halloween is funny in a family-friendly sort of way with plenty of slightly disguised adult humor littered throughout, and more than anything else it is an immersive Halloween experience. Similar to most of his movies, it has a great message reminding us that it's okay to be different as long as your heart is in the right place. Not only was this the movie we needed to get us into the Halloween spirit, it was the movie we needed to try and escape this nightmare of a year, even if just for an hour and 30 minutes.
Adam Sandler caters to his fanbase by packing Hubie Halloween full of references to his other classic films, including Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison (O’Doyle rules!!), and The Waterboy, to name a few - but more importantly, he returns the majority of his usual cast mates. As a diehard The King of Queens fan, I was pleased to see Kevin James in a lead role as the fumbling local law enforcement, who spends more time keeping track of his candy stash than he does investigating crimes. He is hilarious in this role.
I will say, my favorite casting decision is easily June Squibb (Nebraska, Love the Coopers), who plays Hubie's seemingly overbearing mother. She has such a unique monotone style of comedic delivery, and I think she is an absolute gem. She is fantastic in the comedy drama Nebraska if you have yet to see it. At the beginning of the movie she is seen wearing a t-shirt with a hilarious yet inappropriate saying (Kayaking Gets Me Wet, or Boner Donor, for example) and she explains that she and her friend got a heck of a deal on t-shirts at Goodwill.
Throughout the film, she is seen wearing one hilarious shirt after another, and I just loved this small addition which is classic Sandler. During an interview she said that each time she went to her trailer to change into another shirt she would laugh at what she would be wearing. This is Squibb’s first appearance in a Sandler movie, but I sure hope it won’t be her last. Hubie Halloween has several small details like this that add a little something extra for viewers depending on your sense of humor. Now I am not saying this is going to be your new favorite movie, but I honestly have very little negative to say about it. Whether that is partly due to all of the negative feedback received early on that lowered my expectations I can’t be sure, I just know I enjoyed this movie and I will be watching it again.
Hubie Halloween will put a smile on your face and is even suitable for the entire family, so get some popcorn ready and fire up Netflix, you won't be disappointed. And here's to hoping June Squibb keeps the role of mom going forward. Recommended.
TED TAKES RATING - 7/10
Check out the official trailer for Hubie Halloween below, now streaming on Netflix.