Sandman: Adam Sandler's latest movie is that rare thing — a hit with critics and audiences
The Sandman cometh
34 years after his first movie, and with over 80 acting credits to his name, Adam Sandler just bagged the best-reviewed film of his career according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently has a 97% approval rating with critics. Writers are heaping praise on the 56-year-old’s latest straight-to-Netflix effort You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, a comedic family affair with Sandler’s wife and daughters also taking starring roles.
Everyone’s a critic
Like or loathe Sandler’s shtick, there’s no denying the actor’s Hollywood stopping power, having taken his first lead role in 1989’s Going Overboard. Since then, the Sandman has been a staple on the big and small screen, become an unlikely fashion icon, and been nominated for Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globes. Despite all of that, however, hard-nosed critics haven’t always been Sandler’s biggest supporters.
Early in Sandler’s career, when the actor’s SNL days were coming to an infamous end, his movies were a hit with audiences, pumping out fan favorites like 1995’s Billy Madison and 1996’s Happy Gilmore. Critics, on the other hand, weren’t so keen, and it’s taken Sandler a long time to win them around properly. Indeed, on Rotten Tomatoes, Sandler’s 4 most critically acclaimed movies have all come in the last 6 years — though recent audience reviews haven't been quite as glowing as they were for his earlier work.
2022’s Hustle — one of the many movies Sandler’s made for Netflix as part of a twice-extended, ultra-lucrative deal with the streamer — is the only film critics and audiences totally agree on, and both crowds are gushing about it with 93% approval ratings.
