Adam Sandler is still one of the biggest comedy actors on the planet, even if his movies are very hit-or-miss. Sure, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, and 50 First Dates are legendary, but he’s made many awful movies in his time: when it comes to Raspberry Award nominations, he’s second only to Sylvester Stallone. Unfortunately, for every Punch-Drunk Love, there’s a Jack and Jill (or three).
This trend has continued with Sandler’s lucrative Netflix deal, first inked back in 2014 and was extended in 2020. His work with the streaming giant has yielded a few stinkers, many mediocre projects, and a handful of gems. The best of them are a reminder of Sandler’s massive potential. The worst will make you want to tear your hair out. These are the most entertaining of the Netflix movies featuring Sandler in a lead or major supporting role, ranked.
11 ‘The Ridiculous 6’
Released: 2015
As its title suggests, The Ridiculous 6 is a Western comedy riffing on movies like The Magnificent Seven and The Hateful Eight. Sandler plays Tommy “White Knife” Stockburn, a man raised by Native Americans who discovers his true heritage after his long-lost outlaw father, Frank Stockburn (Nick Nolte), reappears in his life. When Frank is kidnapped by a gang of bandits led by Cicero (Danny Trejo), Tommy sets out to rescue him. Along the way, he encounters five half-brothers he never knew he had.
His zany siblings are burro rider Ramon (Rob Schneider), the un-hangable Lil’ Pete (Taylor Lautner), reclusive moonshiner Herm (Jorge Garcia), Danny (Luke Wilson), the washed-up former bodyguard of Abraham Lincoln (Dan Patrick), and saloon pianist Chico (Terry Crews). The goofy premise aims at being a good slapstick time but consistently fails. As a result, The Ridiculous 6 was excoriated by critics and currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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10 ‘The Week Of’
Released: 2018
The Week Of follows the chaos leading up to the wedding of the respective children of Kenny Lustig (Adam Sandler) and Kirby Cordice (Chris Rock). Kenny, a hardworking middle-class father, is determined to give his daughter Sarah (Allison Strong) the wedding of her dreams, despite his financial struggles. On the other hand, Kirby, a successful surgeon, offers to cover the expenses but struggles to connect with his son, Tyler (Roland Buck III).
Rather than let Kirby contribute to the wedding, Kenny stubbornly insists on paying for everything himself. Much of the humor stems from his various schemes at organizing the event on the cheap, like enlisting his 12-year-old nephew as the DJ or getting wacky relative Charles (Steve Buscemi) to release bats as a distraction (don’t ask). The cast is strong (the hilarious Rachel Dratch also appears in a supporting role) but they are let down by an under-cooked script. The Week Of may not be as atrocious as The Ridiculous 6, but it’s in some ways even more disappointing, since it falls short of its potential.
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9 ‘Sandy Wexler’
Released: 2017
Sandy Wexler (Sandler) is a talent manager working in Los Angeles during the 1990s. Despite his unorthodox methods and peculiar personality, Sandy is dedicated to his clients, who are mostly struggling entertainers on the fringes. His life takes an unexpected turn when he discovers Courtney Clarke (Jennifer Hudson), a singer performing at an amusement park. Unlike most of Sandy’s clients, Courtney actually has talent, so he sets out on a mission to make her a star. In the process, he naturally develops feelings for her.
There are interesting ideas here, especially around the challenges of mediocre performers accepting that they will never make it big. The recreation of the ’90s is also well done. However, Sandy Wexler suffers from two fundamental problems: it’s bloated at 131 minutes long and, simply put, it’s just not that fun. The slight plot would have been fine if it was dotted with solid jokes, but they are few and far between.
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8 ‘The Do-Over’
Released: 2016
“You only live twice, right?” Max (Sandler) convinces his old pal, Charlie (David Spade), a meek and downtrodden bank manager, to join him on a wild journey to escape their mundane lives. They fake their own deaths and start fresh with new identities. There’s one snag though: they accidentally assume the identities of two deceased men who turn out to have dangerous connections to the underworld.
The goofy chums are soon in over their heads, dealing with far more excitement than they had bargained for. The Do-Over clearly wants to be a mistaken identity movie like Dumb and Dumber or Date Night but lacks the fun or warmth of either. The gags are juvenile, which would be fine, except they’re also simply lackluster. Once again, it’s a pity, since Sandler and Spade have had great comedic chemistry in the past. Not even the entertaining appearance by Kathryn Hahn as Max’s ex can salvage this one.
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7 ‘Hubie Halloween’
Released: 2020
This horror-themed comedy takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during Halloween. The hapless Hubie (Sandler) is a delicatessen employee who is mocked by almost everyone in the town. Police sergeant Steve Downey (Kevin James) makes Hubie an “AUU” (auxiliary undercover unit) in an attempt to get him out of his hair, but Hubie takes to this role with zeal. When people begin disappearing, Hubie becomes the unlikely hero as he sets out to solve the mystery and protect his neighbors. His investigation involves haunted houses, a self-proclaimed werewolf, and a vengeful kidnapper.
Hubie Halloween is veritably stuffed with talented performers, including Julie Bowen, Rob Schneider, Ray Liotta, June Squibb, Kenan Thompson, Steve Buscemi, Shaquille O’Neal, and Maya Rudolph. Nevertheless, it mostly wastes them, producing only a few charming moments. While not a travesty on the scale of The Ridiculous 6, the film did not go down well with audiences. At that year’s Razzie Awards, Sandler received a nomination for Worst Screen Combo (for “Sandler and His Grating Simpleton Voice”). Ouch.
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6 ‘Murder Mystery’
Released: 2019
This comedy mystery centers on husband and wife Nick (Sandler) and Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Aniston). Nick is a cop while Audrey is a hairdresser with a passion for murder mystery novels. During a European vacation, the couple are invited by the wealthy Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans) to come aboard his family’s yacht. There, they meet a collection of colorful characters like billionaire patriarch Malcolm Quince (Terence Stamp), Quince’s son Tobey (David Walliams), Cavendish’s former flame Suzi Nakamura (Shioli Kutsuna), actress Grace Ballard (Gemma Arterton), and Quince’s old bodyguard Colonel Ulenga (John Kani).
After Quince is found stabbed through his heart, the guests begin meeting grisly fates one by one. As they navigate a maze of suspects and red herrings, Nick and Audrey must use their wits to unravel the mystery before they become the next victims. Knives Out, this is not, but Murder Mystery is a decent flick for those who enjoy this subgenre, with charismatic performances and a decent story.
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5 ‘Murder Mystery 2’
Released: 2023
“Team buffoon wins again.” In the sequel, Nick and Audrey have started their own private detective agency and have landed a case that could put them on the map. They attend the wedding of their rich friend Vikram “The Maharajah” Govindan (Adeel Akhtar) on a private island, only to discover his bodyguard dead. Soon after, Vik is abducted by two cloaked figures and spirited from the island by boat. The kidnappers demand a $70 million ransom.
The police arrive, but the Spitzes start digging into the matter on their own. The suspects include bride Claudette (Melanie Laurent), Vik’s ex, Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), business associate Francisco (Enrique Arce), and even the negotiator Miller (Mark Strong). Ultimately, the mystery is a way of connecting the gags and action set pieces but, for a movie like this, that’s not a bad thing. It makes for breezy if not particularly essential entertainment.
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4 ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’
Released: 2023
This coming-of-age story focuses on best friends Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia Rodriguez Katz (Samantha Lorraine). They’re dealing with the awkwardness of 7th grade and the usual challenges of puberty. However, after an embarrassing incident at a party and Katz’s revelation that she is dating Stacy’s crush Andy (Dylan Hoffman), the friendship turns rocky. Meanwhile, Stacy, anxious about her future, also clashes with her parents as her bat mitzvah approaches.
It’s an enjoyable comedy-drama about family, friendship, and growing up. Notably, Sandler’s family members play several of the lead roles. Stacy and her older sister are played by Sandler’s daughters, while Sandler’s wife Jackie plays Lydia’s mom. You get the impression that they were having a good time on set together. In addition, while this is not an out-and-out comedy, Sandler still has some hilarious moments, like when he yells in exasperation, “That’s why we fought the Nazis? So you could have a mojito bar?” More of this, please.
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3 ‘Leo’
Released: 2023
“Guys, you don’t have to be afraid of change.” Leo is an animated kids’ movie, in which Sandler (who also co-writes) voices the title character, a 74-year-old tuatara. He’s the class pet to a bunch of fifth-graders at Fort Myers Elementary. Each weekend, a different one of the kids gets to take Leo home, and he reveals to them that he can talk. He listens to them, learns about their lives, and offers advice, like literal animal therapy. However, after Leo is abandoned on a field trip, it’s up to the kids to help him.
Sandler shows off his trademark goofy voice here, which is either delightful or annoying, depending on the viewer. Bill Burr is better as Leo’s friend Squirtle, a Florida box turtle. Either way, the simple but catchy musical numbers and sweet story will surely appeal to many young viewers. Leo may not be S-tier animation, but one could definitely do a lot worse.
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2 ‘Hustle’
Released: 2022
Sandler turns in one of his more restrained performances of recent years in this sports drama. He is Stanley Sugerman, a down-and-out basketball scout with a strained home life. He sees a chance to change his fortunes after coming across a talented, unknown player in Spain named Bo (Juancho Hernangómez). Stanley brings Bo to the U.S., hoping to sign him, but a host of personal and professional obstacles stand in their way.
Bo has a troubled past and a violent streak. He reveals to Stanley that he was previously convicted of aggravated assault. The two of them set about working on Bo’s mental toughness as well as his skill on the court, bonding in the process. They’re great to watch together. In particular, Sandler received critical acclaim for his work. Reviewers praised his everyman appeal, understated emotion, and obvious affection for the source material. Sandler has long been a basketball fanatic, so it’s not surprising that he would give his all to a project like this.
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1 ‘The Meyerowitz Stories’
Released: 2017
One of Noah Baumbach‘s strongest movies, The Meyerowitz Stories revolves around a dysfunctional New York family, led by patriarch Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman). He’s a once-prominent sculptor struggling to accept his fading relevance in the art world. Harold’s adult children, played by Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel, each carry their own emotional baggage as they muddle through their relationships with their father and with each other.
The performances are great across the board, but Sandler may be the highlight. In contrast to Stiller’s successful but emotionally distant businessman Matthew, Danny (Sandler) is a lovable underachiever who moves in with his dad after separating from his wife. He changes a lot over the course of the movie, too. This could have been a two-dimensional character – the screw-up man-child – but, instead, Sandler plays Danny with a ton of subtlety. He conveys so much with just body language or a facial twitch. It’s a reminder of what Sandler is capable of, under the right circumstances.
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