In the 1990s, Sandy Wexler (Adam Sandler) worked as a talent manager in the fringes of show business. He represents all sorts of entertainers, from stuntpeople to wrestlers to prospective actors. Along with his social awkwardness, He has a single-minded focus on his work. When he encounters Courtney Clarke (Jennifer Hudson) performing at an amusement, he discovers that she has an incredible talent for singing. Sandy's focus on his work is tested when he begins to fall in love with Courtney, which interferes with the development of her career,
Sandy Wexler is the third film that Adam Sandler has released exclusively on Netflix, as part of what I consider to be a long form of experimental torture. Just when it looked like he was done, he was there, in our homes, invading our queues. If his past Netflix films, like The Ridiculous Six and The Do-Over, are any indication, Sandler isn't putting that much effort into these movies anymore (if her ever did before). But Sandy Wexler feels like something different. There seems to be some passion behind it, even if that passion lies more in the idea behind the film than how the film itself is put together.
This film feels like something that Sandler has wanted to make for a while. It takes place in the 90s, aka the peak of Sandler's popularity, and the movie never lets you forget it. Sandy Wexler just bombards the audience with cameos from 90s comedians, almost all of whom are playing themselves. It's painfully obvious that these people are just Sandler's friends who showed up for a day of filming, and then got a nice paycheck and went home. Everyone seems to be there as more of a favour than anything. And, of course, Sandler's usual gang is here as well; Kevin James, Nick Swardson, Rob Schneider, etc., all bring fairly cringeworthy characters to life. There are also the customary cultural references like Blockbuster, and telling people to "stop investing in Apple", which as a premise is so overdone at this point that it's barely worth noting.
I was surprised that there were a few jokes to be found inside the film. The majority of the humour comes from Sandler's usual methods; cursing, bodily harm, casual racism, etc. But there are a few points where the film goes to such strange places that it got a genuine laugh out of me. Such moments are Wexler killing a raccoon with a baseball bat, causing a visceral and totally unexpected explosion of blood, or Wexler being seduced by his neighbour only to see her dying husband in a hospital bed in the master bedroom, or a puppeteer committing suicide and panning over to reveal that the puppets are hanging from the ceiling next to him. It's dumb, but it hit some strange, morbid nerve within me and made me laugh.
Sandler's movies are just starting to feel routine now. After the first few minutes, it's pretty clear where things are going to go. It's not a very original statement to say that Sandler's films are devoid of any subtlety, but Sandy Wexler doesn't even feel like it wants to try. The whole movie just feels lazy and tired; Sandler looks bored for the majority of the film, and the voice he uses for the chaarcter created a strange ache in my soul as soon as he opened his mouth. Jennifer Hudson is the only actor who seems to be trying, and if it wasn't for the fact that Sandler recently signed a deal for four more Netflix movies, I'd swear he couldn't wait to retire.
Sandy Wexler doesn't even feel like a movie. It looks like a Disney Channel Original movie, with the soft lighting and TV-like cinematography, and it feels unbearably long. I don't know why Adam Sandler is making movies that exceed two hours, because the story just drags on and on, with weak joke after weak joke being run into the ground. The movie doesn't even have the courtesy to be horribly offensive or unfunny like The Ridiculous Six; it's just boring. I don't know how Adam Sandler retains a fanbase when he's putting out products that feel so halfhearted. This movie is just pathetic.
The real question of Sandy Wexler is "why?" I know that that question could easily be applied to Sandler's career in general, but when a movie is this much of an effortless flatline from beginning to end, I just wonder why they even bothered. Netflix, by all accounts, has been "exaggerating" how popular these movies are with audiences, and they just feel demoralising. I felt bad for the people with actual careers who showed up for this movie, but at least it shows that Sandler's friendships are remaining as consistent as the quality of his movies.
Sandy Wexler is as unsurprising as it is boring. I only watched this movie out of some sense of curiosity, and while it wasn't an entirely miserable experience, it was still pretty bad. I just don't think Adam Sandler's heart is in it, and while I have no idea what he'll do next, there's no reason to believe that it'll be anything approaching good. Maybe that same sense of curiosity will draw me back to his upcoming movies, because there is some entertainment to be found in their pure incompetence. Not legitimate entertainment, but these are hardly legitimate comedies, so it all evens out.
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