Adam Sandler in 2005
NO: Netflix is quality, Sandler is not
I have not bothered to see Jack and Jill, That’s My Boy, or Grown Ups and its ill-advised sequel. So I can only scratch my head at Netflix’s decision to strike a four-movie deal with Adam Sandler, given his recent unappealing track record at the theaters.
It might have been a good idea a decade ago before Sandler sold out. We can all wax nostalgic about Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and The Waterboy, but even Sandler diehards have to admit he hasn’t made anything close to that quality in a long time. I’m not dismissing Sandler: One of my favorite films is Big Daddy, which was regularly quoted in my household growing up. But over time, my faith in the comedic actor has been shaken by the drivel he’s put out lately.
Maybe it’s not fair that I haven’t given his recent films a chance, but Sandler doesn’t even seem to hide the fact that he’s been selling out. In Funny People, another less-than-stellar recent Sandler vehicle, Sandler’s persona as a comedy veteran releasing crappy movies for the paycheck is mocked, showing some self-awareness toward the perception of his career. But that somehow makes it worse: Sandler knows his movies will lack quality but perform well in the box office, so he stays the course.
Both Grown Ups films grossed more than $100 million in theaters, as did Just Go With It. But Sandler is not always reliable at the box office: His most recent film, Blended, underwhelmed with an opening weekend gross of just $14 million.
Business Insider points to the financial success of Sandler’s films overseas as the thinking behind Netflix’s four-movie deal. Netflix streams in more than 40 countries, so even his recent domestic box-office disasters didn’t deter Netflix. But it just feels like a relationship in which you can’t understand what one partner sees in the other — Netflix, you can do better!
In fact, I would argue that Sandler’s worst films really go against the grain of Netflix’s modus operandi. Netlfix has built its success in original programming through producing quality content. House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black might be the banner achievements, but less buzzy shows such as Lilyhammer and BoJack Horseman still earn critical praise. Judged by his most recent work, Sandler won’t be producing anything for Netflix that fits that quality mold.
Movies appear to be the next frontier Netflix is looking to conquer, but involving Sandler in the launch of Netflix original films is a bizarre choice. There are many other successful comedians who would creatively fit better with Netflix and make movies that I would watch for more than a few minutes.
Sandler’s response to the deal, according to a news release, is the perfect encapsulation of everything that makes the once-beloved comedian so polarizing and the Netflix deal so maddening.
“Netflix rhymes with Wet Chicks,” he said. “Let the streaming begin!!!!”
Can’t you just hear him saying that? Love him or hate him, it’s classic Sandler — now coming to any screen near you. Thanks, Netflix.
– Dustin Levy
YES: Sandler, Netflix will make blaze a trail with exciting new material
We are living in a new era. Recently, Adam Sandler signed a deal to make four movies that will be available exclusively on Netflix, a deal that simultaneously breathed life into a slowing career and ripped the traditional movie theater to pieces. The news sent shockwaves throughout the film community: It’s largely unprecedented, the idea of a blockbuster movie skipping the theaters by choice. Also, Sandler proves to be an odd choice as someone who has spent the 2010s getting torn apart by critics and, with the exception of the Grown Ups series, failing to turn a ton of profit.
But I like this deal for a couple of reasons. First off, it represents an intriguing new frontier. I love the movie theater more than most people, but the idea of more movies being made in different capacities on different platforms is exciting. I don’t think the conventional movie theater is going to die anytime soon, so for now, deals like his only represent a broadening landscape of potentially great material. Netflix’s forays into original television have gone very well, with House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black in particular racking up Emmy nominations, so their original movies probably won’t be half bad.
The other reason I’m a fan of this deal is because of what it might mean for Sandler. I grew up a fan of the Sand-man, due mostly to the masterpiece that is Happy Gilmore. I’ll admit that his career since Happy has been a bit inconsistent, but there were a few gems in between the Spanglishes and Jack and Jills. Movies such as Punch-Drunk Love, The Wedding Singer and Funny People show that Sandler can act when he wants to, providing the perfect blend of funny guy and emotional wreck.
I’ve seen enough showbiz documentaries and episodes of Entourage to know the old actors’ adage “make one for them and one for you.” This means that actors do a hollow, moneygrubbing studio movie (like Grown Ups) in order to do a movie they actually enjoy, something with a nice script and an artistic director that might not make a ton of money (like Punch-Drunk Love or, in theory, Men, Women & Children). This deal with Netflix should allow Sandler to do both.
There is no doubt that the money made by some of Sandler’s hollow hits is the reason the site chased him in the first place, but the streaming model is also a platform that allows for a lot of creativity. Hopefully Sandler utilizes the power he has in the deal to make at least one movie that doesn’t look, sound and feel like a paycheck.
This deal has the potential to break more than one established norm in the movie business: the idea that good movies only come in theaters and the notion that Adam Sandler can’t make a real film anymore. I think both will be broken in what will be a successful foray into the future of movies. Let the streaming begin.
– Michael Errigo
