Hubie Halloween
By James Davidson
“Hubie Halloween” is a new comedy movie starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James that was released on Netflix on October 7th 2020. Adam Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, a man who is targeted by bullies, both children and adults, in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. The easily frightened Hubie is dedicated to making his beloved hometown safe for everyone to enjoy Halloween. When some people in town begin mysteriously disappearing on Halloween night, Hubie grabs his trusty swiss army thermos and attempts to solve this spooky mystery.
When I saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it looked a bit cheesy and silly, but it looked like it could be worth a few laughs so I thought I would give it a try. I have always found Adam Sandler movies a little hit or miss if they are funny or not, I feel like sometimes his humor can be a bit overdone for my taste.
I found most of the humor in this film to be a little stale. I thought some of the jokes were funny, but most were funny the first few times I saw them in other Adam Sandler movies. This movie is essentially a mish mash of a lot of classic Sandler films all in one unoriginal package. I was a little disappointed that most of the jokes and even the characters seemed to be recycled from movies such as “Billy Madison”, and “The Waterboy”. If you enjoyed those films then this one might be worth a watch, but be prepared for some of the same jokes and characters.
The character of Hubie seems to be a combination of Billy Madison and Bobby Bouche from “Waterboy”. He is essentially a child in a grown man’s body who is the target of bullies from the local middle school. I thought that particular character was funny the first two or three times that I saw Sandler portray him, but I think it has lost a bit of its charm at this point.
There isn’t much originality in this film at all. However, if you are a fan of the Adam Sandler movies that I mentioned earlier, there are a few funny bits. I still found the movie to be enjoyable and did laugh at a few parts, I was just hoping for something a little more original. This movie is fine for what it is, it’s trademark Sandler.
This movie is rated PG-13 for crude and suggestive content, language, and brief teen partying. There isn’t much offensive in this film if you are used to Adam Sandler’s style of humor, which can be a bit crass at times. However there isn’t much violence and hardly any gore. So, if you can look past a bit of suggestive humor, this film would be appropriate for older children in their teens. If you are a fan of Sandler movies it would be a great Halloween film to watch with friends at a Halloween party or as a family.
“Hubie Halloween” is an unoriginal Adam Sandler comedy that is worth a few laughs. If you are a Sandler fan I would recommend you give this movie a watch, but don’t be expecting a new classic. I wouldn’t mind watching this with friends again, but I might be tempted to just pop in “The Waterboy” instead. Hubie earns 3 out of 5 stars.
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