Look, I love Adam Sandler. You love Adam Sandler. We all love Adam Sandler!
So, why was I so shocked to discover then that my students, who are all around the age of 12, also love Sandler? This all came about because several of them interrupted my class to ask me if I knew that he was at their local park the other day.
Now, I don't know about the accuracy of this sighting (perhaps if he was around my school, he could have been scouting out a location for one of his upcoming movies). But, needless to say, I was stunned that they even knew who Sandler was, let alone that they “loved” him. When I asked them what movies of his they loved, these were the ones they told me.
Leo
When Sandler made a $250 million deal with Netflix back in 2014, I never imagined that that number would be bumped up considerably ten years later.
What I also never imagined was that one of the movies that would be produced with Netflix would be the 2023 animated flick, Leo.
Leo, which CinemaBlend's own Philip Sledge was surprised by how much he enjoyed it, is the story of a class pet who suddenly discovers that his life might be ending sooner rather than later. He decides to escape his confines, only to learn that maybe he was better off right where he started.
A few of my students told me that this was their introduction to Adam Sandler, and that they loved the story first, and wondered who the lizard's voice was second. It also makes sense that my middle school students would enjoy this family-friendly film, as it's silly with just the right amount of sweetness.
Plus, the enemy is a crotchety old substitute teacher, so I suppose it resonates with some of my students, as I'm sure they've dealt with a few of them during my absences.
Hotel Transylvania
Okay, so Leo was a little surprising to me as some of my students’ introduction to Sandler, but it made perfect sense that most of them learned about Mr. Opera Man himself via his animated series, Hotel Transylvania.
That's because the Hotel Transyvania movies (three of them voiced by Sandler) are a very popular franchise with four films, and they deals with famous Hollywood monsters in silly situations. What more could you possibly want?
All of the movies are somewhat different, but the basic premise is that Dracula owns a hotel for monsters, and that world gets flipped upside down when his secluded daughter falls in love with a human. Hijinks ensue. I can't fault my students for liking this series, because I like it, too!
Pixels
In this 2015 Chris Columbus movie, Sandler and a host of others fight off aliens who have taken on the forms of old school video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. In a post story scene, it's implied that Josh Gad’s character has children with Q*Bert. It’s…interesting.
But, what's also surprising to me is that 1) my students have even seen Pixels, and 2) some of them consider it their favorite Adam Sandler movie. We were particularly kind to the flick in our review, but many critics savaged the film. Even so, some of my students really love it, so it definitely has that going for it.
Hubie Halloween
In this modern Halloween classic, the actor plays what many people might consider a loser (something Sandler has portrayed in his best and worst movies quite well over his lengthy career). He loves his town, but most people don’t love him back. In fact, they openly mock him, which is why they don’t believe it when he thinks a werewolf is on the loose. But, things turn up for Hubie in the end of this silly horror comedy.
I’ll be honest with you, not all of Hubie Halloween works, but when it does, it really does. In fact, the only student who picked this as her favorite Adam Sandler movie said that she watches it every year at Halloween. She finds it “spooky, but not too spooky,” which, I believe, every good horror comedy should be.
Happy Gilmore
If you’re of a certain age, then you’ve likely seen this classic from 1996. In it, Sandler plays a hockey player who also has a knack for hitting golf balls like a pro. This, of course, upsets the snooty “real” golfers who don’t like that he’s entered their sport with his brash and unorthodox ways. It also stars Carl Weathers. Rest in peace, Derick “Chubbs” Peterson.
If I was surprised that my students loved Sandler, I was even more surprised that a couple of them actually love Happy Gilmore, given that it was way before their time. When I asked them how they saw it, they had similar answers: Their dads liked the movie.
And, you know what? That’s cool with me. As a dad myself, I can definitely see myself showing my kids Happy Gilmore one day. But, only when they’re older.
Grown Ups
I’m not the first person to think this, but Grown Ups seems like the kind of movie a celebrity makes when they can do whatever they want, and decide that what they want is just to make a movie with their friends.
How else can you explain this 2010 film, which has the paper thin plot of a coach dying, and all of the childhood friends basically just coming together to crack jokes for a little over an hour and a half?
Grown Ups (which got a 2013 sequel) was one of my student’s favorite Sandler films, and what he loved most about it wasn’t even the star, but rather, Kevin James (Not even Chris Rock!), who he finds to be hilarious (he also really likes Here Comes the Boom). So, I guess this student really only likes Sandler by association, which is cool, I guess.
Click
Click is a unique movie, even by Adam Sandler standards. It’s the story of a workaholic who goes to Bed Bath & Beyond and buys a magical remote control that he can use to alter reality. Think of it like one of Thanos’ infinity stones, but way more mundane. With this power, he fast forwards through stuff he doesn’t like, only to realize that life – even when it sucks – is still worth living.
More than a few students said that Click was their favorite pick, and like Hotel Translyvania, it’s not hard to understand why. The magical element makes this an interesting film, but it also has a nice message about not wanting to speed through life and to take your time. It’s a good one.
Big Daddy
Lastly, my favorite Sandler movie (that isn’t Uncut Gems), is Big Daddy, which is the story of a guy whose girlfriend doesn’t think he’s mature enough, so he adopts a kid to prove her wrong, only to actually mature in the process.
I’ll be honest with you – Big Daddy might not hold up as well today as it did back in the late ‘90s (kind of like Shallow Hal in the early 2000s), as it does kind of feel a little misogynistic in this day and age. But, I still have a certain nostalgic love for this film.
So, it was bizarre to me that one of my students also liked it even though he couldn’t really put into words what he liked about it, other than the fact that he thought it was funny. And, I agree!
Big Daddy, for all its faults, is still a really funny movie, and one that I think is a decent pick for anybody’s favorite Sandler flick.
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