This is my list of my top five most disliked Adam Sandler movies. Sandler has been a staple at the box office since the mid 90s and continues to be one of the few comedians that can headline a flick and push it over that triple digit threshold into the hundreds of millions domestically. Lately he’s been having some troubles, with last year’s Jack and Jill and now with this years bomb, That’s My Boy, opening with a less than $15m weekend. The once box office golden boy, who opened many a film in the $30m to $40m range, has pretty much hit Eddie Murphy rock bottom (at least Sandler’s not making crappy kid’s movies *cough* Bedtime Stories *cough* well at least his kid’s movies are making money). Hopefully Grown Ups 2 will return him to the hundred million dollar club.
Little Nicky (2000)Box Office Gross: $39,464,775 Adjusted: $0
Another Thanks Giving holiday release that backfired for Sandler. Although I consider this a guilty pleasure in the Sandler cannon, it’s undeniably bad. And who thought that tying this in with a family holiday was a good idea? Yes it does deal with the Devil trying to accept his strange son and there are family ties throughout the film, but c’mon, the premise is too silly and Sandler’s emo son of the Devil is so lost in his own world even when he’s in ours.
The youngest child of the family often has the most problems – so why should things be different for the Prince of Darkness and his offspring? Satan is considering retirement, and is pondering which of his sons should take over the family business – ambitious Adrian, strapping Cassius, or Nicky, an accident-prone demon who prefers to stay in his room playing his favorite heavy metal tunes. When Satan decides to stay on for another 10,000 years, Adrian is outraged, and leaves Hell to go to New York, where he and Cassius attempt to round up enough souls to vote Satan out of power. Satan, understandably upset, sends Nicky to bring Adrian and Cassius back home, but Nicky finds life on Earth is more complicated than he expected. Things don’t get any easier when he develops a crush on Valerie, a good-hearted mortal woman.
Eight Crazy Nights (2002)Box Office Gross: $23,586,598 Adjusted: $0
My question with Eight Crazy Nights is why is it animated? This is yet another time Sandler tries to invade the Thanks Giving holiday season and fails. November is a death toll for a Sandler release. Just as people don’t want super serious Sandler (Funny People), I don’t want animated Sandler, unless he voicing a DreamWorks or Pixar flick, but then it wouldn’t be a Sandler movie either.
Davey Stone, a 33-year-old party animal, finds himself in trouble with the law after his wild ways go too far. In keeping with the holiday spirit, the judge gives Davey one last chance at redemption – – spend the holiday performing community service as the assistant referee for the youth basketball league or go to jail. Davey thinks he’s gotten off easy until he meets Whitey Duvall, the eccentric, elf-like head referee. The mismatch between Whitey’s good heart and never-ending optimism and Davey’s constant troublemaking antics soon have them both wondering if going to jail wouldn’t have been easier.
Airheads (1994)Box Office Gross: $5,751,882 Adjusted: $0
Admittedly more of a Brendan Fraser vehicle (and yes I still love him) than an Adam Sandler movie, but he’s still in it and his name does grace the poster and other marketing materials.
A hapless rock trio consisting of Chazz (Brendan Fraser), Rex (Steve Buscemi), and Pip (Adam Sandler) hits a brick wall with their attempts to get their demo tape played by record label executives. Chazz, on the edge since being thrown out by his girlfriend (Amy Locane), decides it’s time to take more serious action, and he leads his bandmates on a mission to invade the local “alternative” rock station, KPPX, and hold it hostage to get the band’s tape played on the air.
Mr. Deeds (2002)Box Office Gross: $126,293,452 Adjusted: $0
How the hell Mr. Deeds made it into the triple digits I’ll never understand, but at least Sandler did get a do over recycling several gags two years later in the much better 2004 release 50 First Dates. Winona Ryder (who I like) also makes for a weak love interest here. Sometimes bad movies make money, it’s one of the mysteries of life.
Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) is a sweet, lovable guy leading a simple but happy life in the tiny hamlet of Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire. Deeds is admired by the locals who crowd into his pizzeria to hear him recite his offbeat (but hilarious) greeting card poetry. Life is good at the small town restaurant until two corporate executives bring news that Deeds is about to rolling in a different kind of dough. A long-lost relative has left him an inheritance of 40 billion dollars along with the largest media company in the world, a football team, a basketball team, and a private helicopter ready to whisk him off to corporate America. It’s a fish out of water, rags-to-riches story that has local tabloid reporters, including Babe Bennett (Ryder), salivating. With the help of his trusty valet, Emilio (Turturro), Deeds ultimately discovers what life is really all about and has to prove that money changes everything… but not everyone.
Jack and Jill (2011)Box Office Gross: $74,158,157 Adjusted: $0
Widely hated Jack and Jill may be the film that Sandler never recovers from. After the failure that is That’s My Boy released only half a year later it may be time to hang up the Billy Madison / Waterboy / Happy Gilmore schtick that shot him to super-stardom. Of course going full “drama” hasn’t worked either (Funny People / Spanglish), it’s the “in-betweeners” from Sandler that have been the hits of late.
Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive who lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and kids. Unfortunately, one event each year causes enormous stress in their household: when his his identical twin sister Jill (Adam Sandler) comes to visit for Thanksgiving. Jill’s neediness and passive-aggressiveness drives Jack crazy, turning his normally tranquil life intio a nightmare.
I have to agree with most of this list. He’s very up and down with the movies he makes.