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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Last December, legendary actor Adam Sandler threatened to make a movie “so bad on purpose just to make [the Academy] pay” for not nominating him an Oscar for his role as Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems. No one can deny just how great of a performer Sandler is, so — and this is just my subjective opinion — it is no surprise that he fails terribly at having a terrible role in this October’s Netflix film, Hubie Halloween.
Spearheaded by Little Nicky director Steven Brill, and written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy (Billy Madison, Big Daddy, Grown Ups 2), the film follows Hubert “Hubie” Dubois (Sandler) volunteering to make his home Salem, Massachusetts a secure place for trick-or-treating on Halloween night as an unknown figure is out on the loose taking a few of its residents out of nowhere. The entire film is intentional in its screenwriting, performances, and themes, so would we deceive ourselves in saying this bad movie is actually good?
The chemistries between the movie’s characters aren’t so materialized here and come off as arbitrary, not just between Dubois and Valentine (which could be reminiscent of Sandler’s Nicky with that character’s love interest) but between Valentine’s son Tommy (Noah Schnapp) and his little high school crush Megan (Paris Berelc).
The adult characters in Dubois’s life are written as straight-up weird. This includes Mr. Landolfa (Ray Liotta), married couple Lester (Tim Meadows) and Mrs. Hennessey (Maya Rudolph), Father Dave (Michael Chiklis) and Dubois’s mother herself. Let’s not forget to mention the peculiar appearances by Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, and former professional basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. Kevin James’s Officer Steve Downing is the least of our worries. I could argue, however, that the depiction of Salem’s police officers and its mayor are accurate of political officials active in America today, in that their heads are turned when trouble is out there and around us citizens.
CR: Netflix
Obviously centered on Halloween, the movie has references to various popular culture icons in film and television such as Looney Tunes, Superman, Wes Craven’s Scream franchise, Ghostbusters, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Andy Muschietti’s It duology, Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, and more! The film also features a brief criticism of women wearing a common costume from a certain DC Comics character and how much of a nuisance it can be to see it every October.
The plot features nearly the whole town picking on Dubois for being himself, with the exception of his mother (June Squibb) and his crush Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen). As he continues to be himself for the sake of the town, the viewer learns that individuals with the lowest amount of intelligence deserve at least some amount of love. The script does make way for a twist, and it is one you wouldn’t really expect. By the time you discover it (or piece together clues here and there), the revelation will be laughable. In addition, the movie’s cinematography is good here and there. It’s nothing award-winning, but it’s passable.
Sandler attempts to deliver a terrible performance in Hubie Halloween, but it still results in one pretty decent. The protagonist has some of the best advice from his mother, which is that we need to stand up against danger because “we all get scared.” Overall, the movie is a splendid holiday-style celebration of the actor and his past works, whether they are collaborators or elements from past films. It achieves The Room-level status in terms of the acting and lies between Billy Madison and Little Nicky (or perhaps above the latter) on the list of “bad” Sandler films.
4.6/10
Hubie Halloween is now available on Netflix, and it might just inspire you to come up with better costumes for the season. If not, you can always check here.
Have you seen this film yet? If so, what did you think? Let us know! For more Adam Sandler, Netflix, comedy, and horror-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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