When watching Hubie Halloween last weekend, it was hard not to compare the character to other Adam Sandler characters. I mean Hubie is basically Little Nicky but without the religious aspect. Does it help that both films are directed by Steven Brill? Probably not but it does raise questions about just how long Sandler can keep going. I mean, he’s barely evolved since the start of his career and that would be fine if this latest film didn’t feel like such a throwback. And I know. Uncut Gems but he didn’t write that. Just look as his other Netflix films. Murder Mystery? The Ridiculous 6. How long can he keep churning out the same tired comedy films?

Although, he’s obviously doing something right because Sandler has proved to be popular with his fans. He might not be critically praise or always make the big box office numbers but film execs still give him free reign. Free reign to make the same film over and over again. Not necessarily a problem, especially for a Marvel movie fan. It’s also not the worst thing about him. I know you don’t really know what a person is like but there’s something a bit sketchy about Sandler. His attitude to women, his questionable and outdated humour, and his overreliance on tired stereotypes are all bad signs.

Little Nicky isn’t the worst of his films but its hardly inspiring. It relies on Sandler’s whiny character and a lot of stupid jokes to get by. There really isn’t much beyond a long cast list. Sandler’s character is grating and the whole childish humour thing gets tired very quickly. You can see what Sandler was trying to do with this story about the son of the Devil but it just lacks finesse. There have been plenty of films that have played with the Heaven and Hell realm before and this didn’t really offer much in the realm of originality.

Sandler tends to rely on stupid repeated jokes and celebrity cameos to really pad out his movies. That way the story doesn’t really matter that much. Here, a very simple story goes way further than it should have done and gives Sandler yet another chance to romance a woman way out of his league. Obviously, I’ve never been much of a Sandler fan, so there wasn’t much chance that this would feel differently about this film. It’s a typical Sandler film and if you’re a fan then your bound to enjoy it.