Happy Gilmore 2 Synopsis: Gilmore returns to the sport of golf since his retirement after winning his first Tour Championship, to finance his daughter’s ballet classes.
Tag: Adam Sandler
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‘Murder Mystery 2’ (2023) Review
Murder Mystery 2 Synopsis: After starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey Spitz land a career-making case when their billionaire pal is kidnapped from his wedding.
After the events of Murder Mystery, Audrey and Nick Spitz are working as full-time private detectives. Their new business is struggling, so they accept when their friend Vikram—the Maharajah—invites them to his wedding on a private island. There, they meet Vik’s fiancee and sister and are reunited with Colonel Ulenga (John Kani).
During the ceremony, Vik is kidnapped. A group of M16 agents arrive to help find Vik, and soon a $70 million ransom is demanded. Things go awry, and Audrey and Nick are framed for Vik’s kidnapping.
If you have seen the first Murder Mystery, you have already seen Murder Mystery 2. It follows the same beats, although instead of a murder, there is a kidnapping. Okay, so there is a murder, but it’s of a minor character, and the film focuses on finding Vik and getting him back in one piece.
The movie borrows many of the gags from the first film, including the framing of Nick and Audrey for the crime. And, as with the first film, the one thing that saves Murder Mystery 2 from being completely awful is the chemistry between Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Once again, they’re delightful on-screen together, and their banter kept me entertained.
Murder Mystery 2 definitely falls into the romantic “action” comedy, though there is less conflict between Nick and Audrey now than there had been before, which is fine! They’re struggling to legitimize their business, and I’m honestly glad this movie didn’t begin with the two having found success as private detectives. They absolutely need something at stake here – beyond the obvious frame job.
The supporting cast wasn’t as impressive as the first film, but they had their moments, and ultimately, they were there to increase the body count until Nick and Audrey cracked the case. I was disappointed in how little Jodie Turner-Smith and Melanie Laurent were used, but alas, this isn’t exactly an ensemble film, so it is what it is.
I left Murder Mystery 2 feeling the same way I had with the first film. It was fine. It’s a decent date night movie, especially if you’re an Adam Sandler and/or Jen Aniston fan. But it will not likely be a repeat viewing for most.
Watched: 04/16/2024
Notable Song: Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi by Jacques Dutronc -
‘Murder Mystery’ (2019) Review
Murder Mystery Synopsis: A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage. A chance encounter leads to them being framed for the murder of an elderly billionaire.
Nick (Adam Sandler) and Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Aniston) are in a rut. Nick, a police officer, has once again failed his detective exam. Audrey, a hairdresser, feels her marriage needs a spark. The two never got a honeymoon, even though Nick had been promising one to Audrey for years. When Audrey calls him out on the empty promises and lack of romance, Nick surprises her by saying they’re going to Europe for their delayed honeymoon.
On the plane to Europe, Audrey meets billionaire Charles Cavendish. He invites her and Nick to his uncle’s yacht for a lavish party celebrating his uncle’s marriage to Charles’s ex-fiancee, Suzi. Once Audrey and Nick see the hellish tour bus they’re booked for, they take Charles up on his offer. When there is a murder on the yacht, Audrey and Nick find themselves at the center of, you guessed it, a murder mystery.
I enjoyed Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s chemistry in Just Go With It, so I was happy to see they had made another film together. Murder Mystery is not a romantic comedy like Just Go With It was, but it could still be labeled as such, just with more action and murder!
Sandler and Aniston’s chemistry is still on point, but unfortunately, Murder Mystery is a letdown. That’s not to say it’s not entertaining, because it is! Mostly. There are some funny gags, and the cast is pretty great, but the script lacks anything exciting or original. It could have been a fun homage, or even parody, to movies like Murder on the Orient Express, but it seems pretty content with something that barely scratches the surface of a good murder mystery.
On the plus side, it’s quite lovely to the eye. The production design is rather swanky and grand, as Nick and Audrey bounce from a billionaire’s yacht to Monte Carlo to Lake Como – with what funds, I have no idea, but realism is not needed here. Jennifer Aniston’s wardrobe is chic but accessible, and I guess it says something about the movie itself when I am more enamored with what dress Audrey is wearing than whether or not their marriage will survive lies and mounting debt!
It’s Sandler and Aniston who carry the movie just slightly past mediocre. Aniston is still charming and luminous on screen, and Adam Sandler has perfected his everyman dry wit. For me, he’s much funnier when he’s not doing those obnoxious voices. I wish they would do another pure rom-com, but I guess I’ll take what I can get, and what they’ve given me is Murder Mystery 2 to review next!
So, sure, Murder Mystery isn’t great, and frankly, it’s disappointing due to my higher expectations. But it is good for 90 minutes of mindless entertainment if you’ve got nothing else to watch or just want some easy fluff.
Watched: 04/17/2024
Notable Song: We Must Be in Love by The Impressions -
‘Mr. Deeds’ (2002) Review
Mr. Deeds Synopsis: A sweet-natured, small-town guy inherits a controlling stake in a media conglomerate and begins to do business his way.
When multi-millionaire Preston Blake dies while climbing Mount Everest, he leaves his fortune to his next of kin, Longfellow Deeds. Deeds is a lovable, down-to-earth kind of guy from Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire. Blake’s partner, Chuck Cedar, is looking to have Deeds sign over the 300 million shares of Blake Media that was left to him in order to control and then sell the company for a large profit. Along the way, Deeds charms everyone around him and falls in love with sweet “school nurse” Pam Dawson – who is really Babe Bennett, a tabloid journalist looking to get the inside scoop from Deeds himself.
As I’ve said before, with most Happy Madison Productions, you already know what you’re going to get. It could be delightful or just terrible, and I would say that the majority leans toward the latter. Mr. Deeds falls somewhere in between.
In a remake of the 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (which, admittedly, I have not seen), Adam Sandler takes on the role originated by Gary Cooper, while Winona Ryder steps in for Jean Arthur as the duplicitous journalist Babe Bennett. The Happy Madison Production’s usual suspects are sprinkled throughout the film: Allen Covert, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, etc. And as you would expect, they’re all playing rather silly characters, where Sandler is the straight man… or the straighter man, since he also has his ridiculous moments.
I can’t adequately compare Mr. Deeds to Mr. Deeds Goes to Town because, as I mentioned above, I haven’t seen the Cooper/Arthur version, but from what I have heard, Sandler’s 2002 remake pales in comparison, which isn’t hard to believe, given Frank Capra directed the original. That’s right, Adam Sandler took a Capra film and threw it into a blender with a cup of Happy Madison silliness. Wait, I’m starting to compare unfairly, aren’t I? But it’s Frank Capra, people.
Sandler is fine in this film. He is who he is, and he’s perfected the schlubby guy next door who wins over the beautiful girl on his journey to… some happy ending. Winona was also…. fine. I have to say, I probably agree with her own assessment that she was miscast. She’s a good actress but seemed a bit out of place in this movie, and I can’t say that she and Sandler had any real chemistry to work with. Was Drew Barrymore busy!?
All in all, I was underwhelmed by Mr. Deeds. It has some funny moments, as most Sandler movies do, but ultimately, it fell short of being a movie I would seek out again.
Watched: 01/17/2022
Notable Song: Where Are You Going by Dave Matthews Band -
‘Just Go With It’ (2011) Review
Just Go With It Synopsis: On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.
As with every Happy Madison Production, there are both upsides and downsides to Just Go With It. After finding out his soon-to-be bride had cheated on him, Danny Maccabee (Adam Sandler) becomes a successful surgeon in Los Angeles. To keep from getting his heart broken again, he’s developed a system to wear his wedding ring when he’s out picking up women. That way, he can enjoy a one-night stand without attachments or expectations. Then, he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a gorgeous young teacher.
They share an intimate night together, and Danny finds himself completely smitten… at least until Palmer finds his wedding ring in his pants pocket. Danny tells her that he is married but getting a divorce, and Palmer insists on meeting the ex-wife to confirm his story for herself.
Danny recruits his assistant, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), to play his soon-to-be ex-wife “Devlin,” which initially works out fine until Palmer catches on that Katherine has children… which means they must be Danny’s. The lies start to spiral out of control, ultimately leading to the family traveling to Hawaii as a “bonding” experience if Palmer and Danny are going to have a future together.
Whew! A lot happens in Just Go With It’s first 30-40 minutes to get them to Hawaii. Once they’re there, the typical Sandler-shenanigans occur. Danny has to keep up the facade of being a doting father. Katherine, as Devlin, runs into the real-life Devlin that she knew in college, and while trying to keep all of the lies straight, Danny and Katherine start to bond.
Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck are entertaining as Katherine’s children, Maggie and Michael. Maggie is desperate to be an actress, so she opts to play her role as Danny’s daughter, Kiki Dee, with a British accent. Maggie is adorable and funny… in small doses. Michael is melancholy, reminding me of the boy who played Jennifer Aniston’s son in The Switch. But I must admit, Adam Sandler has a way with kids in these movies. When they’re annoying him, it’s funny as hell. When they’re bonding, it’s really sweet.
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are the closest things to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan regarding romantic comedy chemistry. But I think Jennifer Aniston may give Drew some competition. Along with Murder Mystery (Netflix), I do enjoy Sandler and Aniston on screen together. I think they play very well off of one another, and surprisingly, I can buy that Aniston would fall in love with him.
To be honest, these two made Just Go With It so enjoyable for me. The humor is ridiculous and silly, and it doesn’t always work. Before Danny becomes a plastic surgeon, he shows up in the movie with a ginormous nose that looks like a caricature artist created it, and there’s a pointless scene with Nick Swardson and a sheep. So, while there are parts of the movie I found really entertaining, plenty of moments also had me rolling my eyes. Sometimes slapstick works, sometimes it doesn’t, and I don’t think it works very well here.
Just Go With It isn’t a modern rom-com classic by any means. It’s not even a great one, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it enough, and sometimes, that’s all that matters when you’re watching a movie, especially one with Adam Sandler.
Watched: 07/19/2021
Notable Song: Every Breath You Take by The Police -
‘Blended’ (2014) Review
Blended begins with divorced Lauren (Drew Barrymore) and widower Jim (Adam Sandler) experiencing a massively disappointing blind date at Hooters. With no intention of seeing each other again, the two are inadvertently brought back together when a series of events leads them and their families on a trip to Africa. The proximity (they share a resort suite) forces the families to spend time together, and despite their reluctance, Jim and Lauren find themselves warming up to each other.
I absolutely adored 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer is one of my favorite romantic comedies. Blended was released in 2014 to dismal reviews, but I’m still a little shocked that I never saw it until now. So it felt like the right time to cap off the Sandler/Barrymore rom-com trilogy, even if I keep hoping they’ll make another soon.
Despite the reviews, I liked Blended. It’s not perfect by any means, and maybe it’s not on the same level as The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, but it was still an enjoyable watch. Sandler and Barrymore’s chemistry hasn’t waned in the past two decades. They’re still as good together here as they were in 1998. I’m sure their real-life friendship helps their on-screen chemistry shine through, and I think that’s part of what makes this movie work when it might not.
There is plenty of silliness you would expect from any Happy Madison production, but there are also plenty of sweet moments, including a rather emotional scene where Lauren sings “Over the Rainbow” to one of Jim’s kids, unaware that it’s the song their late mother used to sing to them. It’s these moments that made me enjoy the movie.
There are just enough of them that I was willing to overlook some of the hokey stuff, like Terry Crews (whom I love in Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo popping up occasionally to sing ridiculous songs about whatever might be happening in the scene, Jim and Lauren’s son riding ostriches, Lauren’s creepily sex-obsessed oldest son or Jim’s tomboy daughter needing and getting a makeover to win over a cute boy -although the running gag of Jim’s various nicknames for his daughter’s crush is pretty funny, I won’t lie.
Despite the typical Sandler shenanigans, Blended does a really nice job building Lauren and Jim’s romance. While formulaic, it also felt realistic, with a lovely payoff to the romantic tension. Most of the movie is shot in various gorgeous locales in Africa, so if nothing else, you get a beautiful film to whisk you away from the pandemic and quarantine for a couple of hours.
I know I am often too easy to please when it comes to romantic comedies, but I’m baffled at how many critics disliked this film. There is nothing crazy original about Blended, but honestly, it’s a feel-good movie with plenty of laughs and a heartwarming romance. For me, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler will always be a winning combination, and I hope they’ll make another movie together in the future.
Watched: 03/12/2021
Notable Song: Over the Rainbow -
‘The Wedding Singer’ (1998) Review
In 1985, Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) gave up his dream of becoming a rock-and-roll star and is now a popular wedding singer. He’s also a romantic and is thrilled to marry Linda (Angela Featherstone), his girlfriend of six years. Shortly before the wedding, he meets Julia (Drew Barrymore), a bubbly new-events waitress who is also engaged. The two strike up a quick and easy friendship, and Julia is excited to be scheduled to work at Robbie and Linda’s reception.
Unfortunately, an unfulfilled Linda stands Robbie up on their wedding day, and Robbie quickly becomes cynical towards love. On the other hand, Julia is having difficulty getting her indifferent fiancé, Glen (Matthew Glave), to help with their wedding plans. After realizing that Robbie has quite a few connections in town due to his job, Julia manages to convince him to help her with her wedding. Their connection only deepens, causing both of them to question their feelings for one another and for Linda and Glen.
The Wedding Singer was the first of three movies Sandler and Barrymore starred in together – the other two being 50 First Dates (2004) and Blended (2014) – and in my opinion, it remains their best. This film is where we were first introduced to their sparkling, romantic chemistry, and it’s really the only thing that has remained consistent throughout the other two films.
Sandler is known for his sophomoric, gross-out humor, and yes, he’s comedically gifted, but there are moments in The Wedding Singer when he shines as an actor as well. He’s not playing an immature man-child or a selfish jerk but a real man dealing with heartbreak; the only way he knows how is through dry humor.
Barrymore is as sweet as ever, and the two play off of one another with natural, attraction-tinged banter. The Wedding Singer’s supporting characters are just as fun and, thankfully, not as obnoxious as some of Sandler’s later films. Alexis Arquette has some of the movie’s funniest scenes as George, Robbie’s Boy George-obsessed keyboardist, and Steve Buscemi is hilarious in a cameo as a drunken best man whose resentment-filled speech gets him kicked out of the wedding reception. Even Glave entertains as the sleazy, unfaithful fiancé of Julia.
The entire movie is an aggressive but charming homage to the ’80s, and everything from Miami Vice and Billy Idol to CD players is represented. I still firmly believe that The Wedding Singer is Happy Madison’s best production and Sandler’s best film to date (with Punch Drunk Love a very close second). If I see it on television, I tend to turn it on to watch, no matter where it might be in the movie. It’s sweet and funny without needing the juvenile humor for which so many of Sandler’s films are known. The characters are well-written, and even though it has a simple, predictable premise, the 80’s nostalgia and the chemistry between Robbie and Julia make it worthwhile.
Watched: 03.29.2019
Notable Song: Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler -
’50 First Dates’ (2004) Review
Veterinarian Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a playboy afraid of commitment. But when he meets Lucy (Drew Barrymore) in a local diner, he finds himself drawn to her sweet, off-beat personality. Unfortunately, he soon discovers Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss due to a car accident the year before, and he finds himself having to win her heart all over again, day after day.
While The Wedding Singer remains my favorite rom-com collaboration between Barrymore and Sandler, I realized during my rewatch of 50 First Dates that I enjoy it much more now than I did when I saw it years ago. The weak link in the movie is the first half-hour or so. 50 First Dates opens with a ridiculous montage of various beautiful women lamenting wistfully about their brief but amazing interludes with local Hawaiian stud Henry Roth, which may have worked had the leading man been anyone but Adam Sandler (although perhaps that was a part of the joke).
We get to know more about Henry, who is quite clearly a commitment phobe with little to no respect for women. There is some abundant gross-out humor (yay, projectile vomiting!) and a few juvenile, problematic jokes that fall flat. But once Henry meets Lucy, the movie finally shifts tone, and we get to the story’s heart.
What begins as Henry merely trying to prove that he can get any girl he wants turns into a genuine connection between him and Lucy. Even when he’s told the truth about her condition, he can’t seem to back away despite warnings from her friends and family. It’s amusing in a Groundhog Day-esque way to watch him devise various ways to catch her attention as the days pass. Despite how ridiculous it is, I thoroughly enjoyed the sequence where Drew Barrymore beat Rob Schneider’s silly Ula with a baseball bat.
Sandler and Barrymore share such sweet and quirky chemistry that watching Henry try to win over Lucy for most of 50 First Dates never gets old. You want her to remember their love, to somehow magically cure her memory loss (spoiler: it doesn’t, but that’s also part of the magic of their relationship), and for them to find a happy ever after.
We get a heartbreaking kiss in the rain, and even though Lucy will never be able to remember Henry in the long term, meeting him has changed her own life for good, making her condition a bit easier not only on herself but on her father Marlin (an excellent Blake Clark) and brother Doug (a mildly amusing Sean Astin).
Barrymore has such a shining presence on screen, and she takes what could have been a one-note character. She gives Lucy life, creating a joyful and devastatingly vulnerable character in the face of her tragic circumstances. Henry probably doesn’t deserve her, but Sandler projects the emotional depth needed to make us root for him through the character’s growth and determination to win Lucy’s heart and help her.
50 First Dates has plenty of gross-out moments, and it wouldn’t be a Happy Madison production without the sophomoric humor. Ultimately, it’s a warm, romantic movie that starts slightly bumpy but finishes strong.
Watched: 01/05/2019
Notable Song: Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys