Rate These Adam Sandler Movies And We'll Rate How Dumb You Are
- by Michael Winter
- – on
- in Movies and TV
In the UK there is a slogan about Marmite (“love it or hate it”) that marks it as a food of disunion; parents, children, lovers, close friends: all are at odds with the taste. And Adam Sandler is the Marmite of the movie world.
His reception has been mixed, to say the least. The 1990s Sandler had a worthwhile comic reputation and in films such as Billy Madison and The Waterboy he was loved. But in those early days there were also some who hated him. The Chicago Sun Times wrote in the early 1990s that Sandler “is making a tactical error when he creates a character whose manner and voice has the effect of fingernails on a blackboard, and then expects us to hang in there for a whole movie."
It’s not surprising that Netflix (who have commissioned a handful of films from the actor) says we all are in love with one Adam Richard Sandler, no exception! But the figures speak for themselves: The Ridiculous 6 received a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score and The Do-Over 5%.
British newspaper The Independent reported in 2017 that during his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Sandler revealed his own children’s dislike of his films saying that they “tune out and then I hear them — They’re nervous to say it — but like, ‘Can we watch something else?’”
Here’s a quiz that will test your own love or hate of the actor and his work. Oh, and when you’ve finished we’ll tell you how dumb you are.
50 First Dates (2004)
There’s no denying that chemistry takes place on-screen when Drew Barrymore and Sandler act but the gentle waves between them had to cross a gigantic caldera of “excessive gross-out humour and yucks” before the scenes could be in any way called profound. This one was slammed too. What did you think of it?
Spanglish (2004)
A fair attempt to broach cultural divides, Spanglish got mixed reviews when it was released. This is reflected in its decidedly average 53% Rotten Tomatoes score. The site said of the film "Paz Vega shines, and Adam Sandler gives a performance of thoughtfulness and depth”. Give us your vote.
Pixels (2015)
Despite a sizeable box office taking of $244.9 million, Pixels was not well received by critics or audiences. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 17% while Metacritic scored it just as meagerly saying they had seen “generally unfavorable reviews” from audiences. That said the premise wasn’t half bad. How about you?
Little Nicky (2000)
It isn’t often that films are both critical failures and financial duds but in the world of Adam Sandler the opposite is true (in fact, whitewashed doodoos are the name of his game). Little Nicky cost $85 million to make and earned just $58.3 million. Did you like it?
Airheads (1994)
A group of musicians (Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler) attempt to take over a radio station in order to force their music onto the airwaves. The movie made just $1.9 million on its first weekend of release and the critics hated it. It ended up with a cult following though. You like it?
Just Go with It (2011)
This film made almost three times as much as its budget making it a commercial success. But even though it stars such greats as Nicole Kidman it was disliked by critics who called it a “crass and overpopulated remake of Cactus Flower, served up as a mangy romcom of serial deceptions” (The Telegraph, 2011).
Bulletproof (1996)
In this film Sandler plays small-time crook Archie Moses who befriends another crook who turns out to be a cop. And the plot carries on like that for another 1hr and 24 minutes. The film received a not-so-handsome 8% from Rotten Tomatoes. What do you think?
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes found this film “unfunny and forgetful” but it did make three times the cost of the budget so it wasn’t all bad. Variety decided that, "the general tone nevertheless makes it difficult to elevate the gags beyond an occasional chuckle". What did you think?
Blended (2014)
Critics and audiences were divided by Blended which was scored low by Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. It was the third film in which Barrymore and Sandler appear together. RT said the film, “commits the rare Sandler sin of provoking little more than boredom”.
The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
Success! Finally, a critical one-horse race with Sandler himself praised for something or other. It’s no small coincidence though that he was also acting alongside some real actors like Emma Thompson. Perhaps he felt he had to up his game. Unfair? It won the Palm Dog award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
Released by Happy Madison Productions (founded by the man himself), Deuce Bigalow follows a sold-out and unsuccessful house cleaner as he attempts to make money as a prostitute. It was the first film to be released under the HM banner; it made a little bit of money but was panned by the critics.
Jack and Jill (2011)
It may one day be the case that other actors refuse to work with Sandler, especially if this film is anything to go by. Al Pacino gave a sterling performance in Jack and Jill but that didn’t stop it being slated by both critics and audiences. What do you think?
Funny People (2009)
There’s a term for films that don’t recoup their budgets: poor investments. And investors only need to be stung once to make them wilt. Funny People starred Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann among others but at the box office it made $5 million less than the cost of production. Did you like it?
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
When it comes to Sandler films there’s a common theme: bad taste. This is especially evident in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, a film which made the critics’ ice creams go sour. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 14% rating for its “inept comedy or tasteless stereotypes”.
Going Overboard (1989)
Sandler debuted in this film and thus began his unbroken record of being slated by the critics. Unsympathetic (why would they be anything else?) to his first role his acting was said to have been mediocre. He wasn’t the only one to have been targeted…Burt Young’s performance was also disliked.
Shakes the Clown (1991)
This film was a flop, no question about it. It made just $115,000 from the box office yet cost $1.4 million to make. To add insult to injury Shakes the Clown was hated by the critics who thought the plot was, “scattered and the performances often seemed under-rehearsed” (Chicago Sun Times, 1991).
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)
The sequel to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, it would be wrong to say that it was long awaited. The movie stars Rob Schneider as Deuce Bigalow and was co-produced by Sandler’s Happy Madison Company and Out of the Blue Entertainment. It was panned. Share your thoughts…
The Longest Yard (2005)
The Longest Yard grossed $190 million worldwide which, for Sandler, was a blessing. It follows jailbird Sandler in the role of a former football league player who must cobble together a team from within prison walls. Critics were divided on the film with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 31% rating.
You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)
Are you a diehard Adam Sandler fan? If you are you might have liked You Don't Mess with the Zohan but you will also be in the minority. Entertainment Weekly in the year of its release gave the movie a C+ grade and wrote: “another 'mess' from Sandler" which is, unlike Monty Python, a "circus that never flies.”
The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
Produced by Sandler’s lot and distributed by Netflix, The Ridiculous 6 is one of the rare Rotten Tomatoes entries that has won a big fat 0% for entertainment. And we really should mention the Native Americans that left the set after feeling dismayed at the portrayal of the Apache Indians. That was a big no-no.
Men, Women & Children (2014)
Another critical and commercial flop came with Men, Women & Children. It cost $16 million to make but earned one eighth of the amount. The Telegraph in 2014 said audience members agreed the film was “mawkish and clichéd”. But that aside, what did you think of it? There must be one person who loved it…
Reign Over Me (2007)
The film has a promising cast - Don Cheadle, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland among others - which also includes Adam Sandler. It did make $2 million over its budget and garnered some positive reviews, but the general feeling was lackluster. The New York Times said it was full of “glibness and grossness”.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Here’s one that seems to be nothing short of successful. The film has a 79% rating on RT and was titled by the AV Club as one of the top 50 films of the 00s. Perhaps its success was built on Sandler’s natural comic timing and less on his trying to act. Just a thought.
That's My Boy (2012)
Ah, we reached Sandler Summit only to fall all the way back down the cliff. Our next film is That’s My Boy, which follows an alcoholic box of rocks (Sandler) in his attempts to find enough money to pay back unpaid back taxes for a son he fathered with his teacher.
Bedtime Stories (2008)
This was a money spinner for production company Walt Disney but was marked by the critics as being nothing more than a family-rated version of Sandler’s usual crudeness. Rotten Tomatoes said it was, “uneven, poorly paced, and lacks the requisite whimsy to truly work.” Did you like it?
