‘Spaceman’ Is Adam Sandler’s Least Adam Sandler Film

The Big Picture

• Though not Adam Sandler’s first entry into the drama genre,
  Spaceman
  showcases his evolution from a comedic actor to a serious performer.
• Netflix’s
  Spaceman
  presents Sandler with his toughest role yet, carrying the film alone and showcasing subtlety in his acting.
• From
  Spaceman
  to
  Uncut Gems
  , Adam Sandler’s transformation into drama has been a joy to witness, indicating the potential for major awards in the future.

What a journey it has been for Adam Sandler over a long and celebrated career in the entertainment business. After getting his foot in the door and making audiences laugh with Saturday Night Live characters like Opera Man and playing side-splitting songs on the guitar, the comedian graduated into making hilarious movies of his own, including box office hits like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, and many more. The dynamic and unorthodox comic actor brought a patented blend of crass humor and lovable leads that you really wanted to see succeed. He has hit it off with female co-stars Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston while yucking it up regularly with SNL buddies David Spade, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider. In recent years, however, Sandler has begun to take on projects that challenge his dramatic bona fides. His most recent Netflix film, Spaceman, marks a complete transformation for the 57-year-old Brooklyn native. He has turned the corner from over-the-top, almost childlike, funny characters to a fully formed serious player who can more than hold his own opposite dramatic heavyweights like Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano (albeit, in the form of a giant spider). A serious Sandler can be just as enjoyable to watch as the puerile portrayals that made him a household name and a comedy A-list actor for over 30 years.

‘Spaceman’ Is Far From Adam Sandler’s First Drama

We’ve seen Adam Sandler shed the funnyman image in various films over his career, with strong performances in films like Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, 2019’s stellar Uncut Gems, and another Netflix film, 2022’s Hustle. But these roles, even though still a departure for Sandler, still gave the actor a little wiggle room to display his eccentricities and idiosyncratic brilliance. Spaceman is the first time that there are no pretenses of goofing around. Based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař and directed by Johan Renck (Chernobyl), Spaceman sees Sandler often on-screen alone in zero gravity. Sandler’s protagonist Jakub is forced to shoulder a heavy load as he is millions of miles from home on a journey to discover what is inside the mysterious Chopra cloud while also trying to mend a broken marriage to his wife on Earth. Unlike in his past forays away from his comfort zone and into more nuanced and heavier performances, Spaceman doesn’t provide Sandler with a safety outlet. This is his first true tightrope walk without a net, and he handles it with great aplomb. It isn’t a surprise that Sandler is proving himself in this genre because he has slowly been evolving as a performer over the last several decades.

‘Spaceman’ Is Sandler’s Toughest Role Yet

There aren’t many more difficult asks of an actor than to ostensibly carry a film on his shoulders alone. With no one to play off of except for a giant spider character that is later inserted via CGI, you have to have a sturdy handle on your craft. When there is one setting alone with no other actors for large chunks of the film, there is an added level of subtlety and nuance that you don’t have to worry about when you’re exchanging dialogue with a co-star. And though Hanuš the Spider is a character that Jakub banters back and forth with, he is saying his lines to either a green screen or a stand-in who is reading the part of Hanuš. With so many tight shots of Jakub’s face to measure his emotions and reactions, it forces Sandler to be on top of his mannerisms and facial expressions in every scene. There is so much understatement involved that requires a “less is more” talent that is the polar opposite of what Sandler has done so well for so long as a comedic performer.

Adam Sandler’s Transformation Has Been a Joy To Watch

Sandler’s transition into drama has been a joy to watch as he continues to reinvent himself further into his already decorated career. From breaking character during SNL sketches with Chris Farley to his spot-on depiction of sleazy jeweler Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems to his turn as a Czech cosmonaut in Spaceman, Sandler’s ever-evolving career has been a pleasure to witness as a viewer. He has so many more tools in his acting bag at his disposal and has put in the work to become such a well-rounded performer. It has taken almost three decades with a few outliers interspersed throughout, but Adam Sandler is currently an actor who should be considered for major awards moving forward, including the Academy Award. And Spaceman will always be a feather in his cap, regardless of how well it is received. Sandler and his behemoth production company Happy Madison Productions and Netflix have had a long and symbiotic relationship. Sandler delivers popular films for the streamer and, in exchange, he is allowed to take on roles that allow him to flex his dramatic chops more often. Spaceman marks the seventh film he has produced for Netflix, and we hope there are even more to come.

Spaceman is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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