Netflix’s Next Movie With Adam Sandler Has A Trailer, And The Internet Has Thoughts

The deal between Adam Sandler and Netflix has clearly been successful for both sides. Back when the comedian and the streaming service first made a deal it was huge news for being such a unique agreement, but by now it’s just the normal state of doing business. These movies are even getting sequels now. This despite the fact that most of these movies aren’t seen as particularly good. And now the newest Netflix/Happy Madison joint is here with Home Team.

It does not appear that Adam Sandler himself is actually in this one, but it’s his company that has created this quite unusual story, starring Kevin James as actual New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, but in a traditional Sandler-style comedy. It’s a bizarre set up for a film, and the internet has not overlooked this fact. 

Home Team takes an actual event, Sean Payton's suspension from the NFL for a year after it was found the Saints had a “bounty” program where players would be paid bonuses for taking opposing players out of the game, and has turned that year of his life into a comedy starring Kevin James. Turning that event into a movie is something that might happen. Turning that event into this movie is something people are having trouble believing even now.  

On the one hand, we wouldn’t be seeing a movie like this if the Adam Sandler/Netflix deal wasn’t clearly a success. People are watching these movies. That much must be true. At the same time, other people think Home Team looks so so bad they're wondering if this might just mean that the world is coming to an end.

On the other hand, if Home Team is a success, then maybe we’ve just invented a new genre of film. We’re used to seeing dramatic inspirational sports movies, but the inspirational sports comedy is a bit more rare. If Kevin James can be Sean Payton, then perhaps other comedians could be cast to play coaches in the NFL.  

A lot of the responses to this movie are funny because the entire idea of it sounds silly, but whether couched in humor or not, there are a lot of people who are really taking issue with this film because it’s turning an event that was actually pretty terrible into a comedy. 

Perhaps, in the end Home Team will be a redemption story. Maybe, in teaching these kids football, the character of Sean Payton will learn that what he did to get suspended was wrong, and he’ll become a better person. After all the kids throw up over everything, I mean.  Home Team will be hitting Netflix on January 28.