There was a time when I really did try to defend Adam Sandler, back in the late ‘90s and early 00’s. I was trying to get people to truly appreciate and understand the sheer Jerry Lewis-like brilliance of the neurotic Jewish schlub in "The Waterboy," "Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," "The Wedding Singer," "Punch-Drunk Love" "50 First Dates," and, even, "Big Daddy." Those days seem to be gone. With the exception of 2012’s "That's My Boy," which seemed to harken back to his comedic glory days of the '90s — yes I am defending that movie ... I mean, please do watch it, it's a hoot. Alas, Sandler has been stuck in the kind of cinematic hell that makes me almost regret defending him some 20 odd years ago.
His Netflix fare has been absolutely unwatchable, at best. Sandler seems to have lost an edge that would almost be instantly recognizable in his more successful films. Oh well, will I still watch this? Probably. It is, after all, completely sacrilegious as a critic to say you like Adam Sandler, but what do I care. Isn't the whole point of the profession to be honest and truthful? Sandler was good at what he did and he made me chuckle more than a few times. Did I, quite possibly, lose a brain cell here and there? I would guess so, but you only live once. Again, please watch "That's My Boy."