Logan Sork Film Reviews
Hubie Halloween
Last year, Adam Sandler delivered his best performance in Uncut Gems and showed that he could be more than the lame comedic image he has become in recent years. The performance was so well regarded that there was talk of a potential Oscar nomination for Sandler. Sandler stated that if he wasn’t nominated that he would make the worst film of his career (a truly terrifying proposition). Naturally, the academy did not nominate Sandler, who promptly signed a multi-picture deal with Netflix, indicating that he would indeed fulfill his promise. Hubie Halloween may not be the worst of his career, but it is a dark sign of things to come.
Hubie Halloween is directed by Steven Brill and stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, June Squib, Kenan Thompson, and Steve Buscemi. The film follows Hubie (Sandler), a deli worker and the laughingstock of Salem. Though he is bullied by others, he seeks only to make sure everyone around him is safe. During Halloween, his favorite time of year, he volunteers as the town’s official Halloween safety officer. When the citizens of Salem begin to disappear on Halloween night, it’s up to Hubie to solve the mystery and find the missing people before it’s too late. Meanwhile, a lunatic has escaped from mental institution, and Hubie’s new neighbor (Buscemi) may be more than he seems.
While the film itself has many problems, there were actually some things I liked about it. The thing that stood out to me the most was how well the film captured the look and feel of Halloween. Granted, the word is in the title so that should be something that it should get right regardless. Still, some holiday films simply say they take place around the date and use minimal decorations to prove it. Here, however, the production and costume designers went all out in bringing a fun and spooky look to the film. While the film itself may not be the best, at least it puts you in the mood to celebrate Halloween. Besides that, though, I can’t really think of anything that I enjoyed about the film.
The thing that shocked me the most while watching the film is just how unfunny it actually is. There were one or two moments where I laughed sure, but, for the most part, it was simply devoid of comedy. I find this surprising because there are some great scenarios here that a ripe for comedic pickings and some veteran comedic cast members who could use these situations to get some decent jokes. Sadly, however, these scenarios are often downplayed in favor of some cheap physical comedy or toilet humor. I know that these are often staples of Sandler comedies, but the fact that they undercut some genuinely great set-ups just makes me even more upset.
There is also the problem of way too much going on in too little time. Though the film is only 90 minutes, they try to squeeze in so many different plot threads that there really isn’t much breathing room for the jokes manifest. There are multiple plot threads that you could remove from the film and it would have little to no impact on the overarching narrative. In fact, it might actually improve it because you could use that additional time to develop the underutilized comedic scenarios and make the film better. I think had the filmmakers done this or simply picked one of the other plot threads to expand upon the film would have been funnier. Sadly though, they went for quantity over quality, and the final product is worse off as a result.
Worse still, the way the film wraps itself up is embarrassing. I won’t go into spoilers for those who want to watch it (please don’t) but they try to make it seem like the film was building up to this really inspiring message and make you feel something. First off, the message of the film is beaten into our heads multiple times throughout the runtime and secondly, the multiple plot threads have to actually come together for this to mean anything, but they simply don’t. Instead, they are either dropped entirely or cut short in a way that omits the feeling of resolution. The way in which the message is delivered in the ending is just awkward, and not in a funny way. Had the film actually been funny or interesting, the message might have had some impact. In the end, though, I was just glad for it to be over.
This may not be the worst Adam Sandler film, but it is no where near close to being his best, or even good for that matter. It is frustrating to see so much comedic potential be utterly wasted by an incompetent filmmaking team. The most effort they put into the movie was making it unfunny because the situations the film presents are comedy goldmines. Rather than taking the time to make it work though, Sandler and his team decide to cover them up in unfunny gags and useless plot threads. Hubie Dubois himself may be the laughingstock of Salem, but the film itself brings no such laughter.
3/10