As difficult as it is for me to suggest, I think that Adam Sandler has aged like fine wine. For a comedian more known for Razzie wins than Oscar nominations, it’s surprising to think that he’s not only still putting out work but it’s also among his most thought-provoking. That isn’t to say that he’s “tried” at various points throughout his career, but it always felt like it sat on the backburner for the crowd-pleasing films that were, let’s face it, considered low brow and sometimes more an excuse to hang out with friends than tell a revolutionary narrative.
To be completely honest, it’s why I’ve had a complicated relationship with his work over the years. When I was in middle school and high school, he was the de facto favorite. I was there often on opening weekend for a lot of Happy Madison works like 50 First Dates (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), or You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (2008). I sat in the crowd and laughed at whatever his creative team had come up with. I bought all of his albums and listened to each repeatedly even if most were… dated and problematic. To reroute the ship here, I used to have a goal of finding out what day he’d be on The Tonight Show and attend the taping. Given that he was more of a David Letterman guy, I kissed those dreams goodbye.
I say all of this to suggest that I had some deep-seeded bias to like him and it made reaching my 20s feel awkward. In college I met cinephiles who blasted me for watching Just Go With It (2011) and I was at the notorious Razzie ceremony where Jack & Jill (2011) swept the categories. Part of me felt shame and many found his deal with Netflix to be an admission of growing irrelevancy when, in fact, it was the perfect partnering. For as much as you can critique him for working with some less than favorable actors, he was consistently one thing: loyal. If he was on your friends list, he was more than likely going to take care of you.
That is my theory for why Sandler has continued to be successful. While it helped that he formed his own brand long ago, he has done plenty to prop up collaborators that he thinks have something meaningful to say. Even if my infatuation has fizzled a little, I can’t deny that he’s released some of his best work in the past 15 years including Funny People (2009), The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), Uncut Gems (2019), and the not-not glorified promo for The NBA Hustle (2022). To me, those reflect a sense of maturity and willingness to spread his wings once in a while. Even the fact that You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) is a family affair shows that he’s transitioned into the goofy dad certain pockets of Gen-X and Millennials wish they could’ve had.
Which brings me to Love You. Following the charming Netflix special 100% Fresh, I was curious to see what he’d bring to a live audience. This new one feels more focused, or focused in the sense that it’s not a travelogue approach to live theater. Instead it’s a one night experience as recorded through the prism of Uncut Gems filmmaker Josh Safdie.
For those familiar with their kinetic man on the street style, the first few minutes will seem familiar. It feels like an extension of their earlier collaboration as he wanders through the backstage rooms of a comedy club. We’re not sure why his car has a windshield break or who most of the people he says hello to are. Even then, it feels like a reunion of old friends getting together for a night to laugh and forget one’s troubles. In true Safdie form, the actual set features a variety of blunders ranging from broken TVs and failing instruments to dogs running loose. It adds to the unexpectedness of a performer who jumps between one liners and jingle-length music with ease.
Even amid the frantic pacing, Sandler seems laidback in his sweatshirt and sweatpants. Nothing bothers him. He’s in control of the audience and knows how to burrow into the uncertain before popping out with punchlines that range from profound to stupid levels of non-sequitur. If you’ve been following him since Saturday Night Live (or even 100% Fresh), this is old hat. In fact, it’s what you want out of the evening. You want to see him truly embrace the wild corners of the imagination and bring forth something goofy. Even in short tune about watching TV, he manages to make the line “I am clinically depressed” into a gut-busting high point.
This is all to say that while he’s keen on wild and crazy antics, an aging Sandler has developed a sense of warmth. In another song, he discusses the various instances where he’s muttering under his breath. The joke is that he’s the “responsible” spouse and doing a lot of difficult jobs like mowing the yard. At another point he dives into a pool and uses vocal effects to sound like he’s drowning. The situations in themselves aren’t funny, but because of Sandler’s observations, he makes it progressively clear that his bitterness is bothering his wife. She hasn’t been central to the narrative, but her victory at the end reflects a relationship built on poking fun at each other. It’s lovely and simple even, if taken literally, is morbid.
So long as you don’t think too much about the practicality of the routines, the night ends up being one of my favorite stand-up specials of the year. It ranks alongside Jacquline Novak, Alex Edelman, and Hannah Einbinder as a work that has carried me out of a miserable day and made me appreciate the absurdity of the world. For as scrapped together as Love You comes across, it becomes a balanced art form by the end. There is a trust in the crew that what we’re witnessing actually won’t fall apart. If anything, it plays into the old gimmick of “the show must go on,” and who better to stare chaos in the face than a man whose very career is defined by expecting the unexpected? You better be on lookout because at any moment he’ll turn the spotlight on the crowd and serenade a deprecating song just to see how you’ll react.
Another thing that is underrated about Sandler is that even as he delves into juvenile things like having sex with balloons, he’ll find a moment to get serious and focus on things he’s grateful for. His cult of personality has earned him the right to discuss the age gap between him and his wife. He’s allowed to discuss his insecurity around becoming an old man who may be out of touch with his children. Typical musings like buying beer for kids have a deeper pathos that makes you understand that underneath some of the comedy is truth. Sure, a lot of it may still be absurd, but it’s the humanity that has given Sandler longevity.
Even the closer is more tear-jerker than gut-buster. All these decades later he’s still loyal to the people who got him where he is. It wouldn’t be a proper Sandler show without a Chris Farley shout-out. His gratitude of never forgetting where he started has allowed his otherwise isolating stardom to feel grounded and recognizable. This could be written off as nostalgia-bait, but Sandler has always been this way. When his father died, he wrote a heartfelt song called “Stan the Man” that mixed jokes with sincere memories. For as much as he can be accused of buying cars for his friends and filming their vacations, Sandler is a hard person to hate because he seems to genuinely use his power to make others happy. It may not always translate but, when faced with the man himself playing a guitar on stage, the endearment is hard to miss.
More than anything, Sandler is genuinely himself here. I understand if you have antipathy for him and can’t stand this style of humor. For those, like myself, who grew up quoting Happy Gilmore (1996) from memory, Love You is very much the type of special you want. He has matured as an artist, but not to the extent that he’s a different person. If anything, he seems more likable now. It could be that he’s partnering with higher caliber filmmakers like Safdie for more avant garde works, but I see the heart that hasn’t always been present in his work. To be fair, not everything he makes is a masterpiece worthy of deconstruction. There’s still a lot that I don’t love. However, there’s enough in the “good” pile now to at least qualify me as a Sandler fan again.
More than anything, Love You is bound to be a piece of feel good entertainment that I’ll add to the rotation. Whenever I have a bad day and need to chuckle for 80 minutes, I’ll put this on and find myself getting lost in a bit I forgot about. I’ll listen to the songs and admire the rare piece of musical comedy (see also: Nick Thune). They may be simple and to the point, but they still work. In an age where most specials I watch are about the long con of a story, it’s nice to have Sandler feel like a throwback to something zippier and more off the cuff. It lacks the polish that most performers would carry, and I admire how it doesn’t take itself seriously.
Maybe Sandler has aged well because, at the end of the day, he understands the job of the comedian. There is a need to feel comfortable and let your guard down for an hour. Let the nonsense blend with the serious and create something more reflective of how life feels to us all. Even if Love You features some tender moments of emotional sincerity, it’s only one card in this larger house. You’ll remain curious as to see if it’ll blow over and fall apart. It hasn’t always worked out for The Sandman, but in this instance he’s mastered his craft. I don’t fully know if this’ll appeal to those who didn’t watch his movies a lot growing up, but for me it’s one of the most essential things he’s done in his late career.
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