Adam Sandler is one of the more divisive actor/writer/comedians working in Hollywood today. From his early stand-up beginnings, to his comedic songs on Saturday Night Live, to his chaotic career in feature films, Sandler has cultivated a fan following over his more than 25 years in the biz. There are certainly highs and lows to be found in his numerous performances, but he’s also churned out so many comedies that there’s likely to be at least one movie in his filmography for everyone.

With that in mind, we turned to Netflix to find out just which Sandler movies are available to stream. While it’s a fairly small selection considering just how many movies he has on his resume, there are enough of them to please (and infuriate) all sorts of fans.

From Worst to First, here are all of Adam Sandler’s movies on Netflix, ranked, including the most recent release, Hubie Halloween; be sure to read our own Allie Gemmill's review here. Here's the synopsis for that movie, which follows up on Sandler's fantastic, should-have-been-Oscar-nominated run in Uncut Gems:

Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure the residents of his hometown, Salem, celebrate safely and play by the rules. But this year, an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbor have Hubie on high alert. When people start disappearing, it’s up to Hubie to convince the police (Kevin James, Kenan Thompson) and townsfolk that the monsters are real, and only he can stop them. Hubie Halloween is a hilarious family film about an unlikely hero with an all-star cast including Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Noah Schnapp, Steve Buscemi and Maya Rudolph, produced by Happy Madison.

The Ridiculous 6

Director: Frank Coraci

Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Netflix doesn’t have all of Sandler’s films, but they do manage to have both his best and arguably worst efforts of his career. Since we’re starting with the bottom of the barrel, you can’t do much worse than his latest feature, The Ridiculous 6. Not just an affront to great Westerns it attempts to draw from, it also manages to offend all the minority groups that Sandler’s previous stereotypes have yet to hit, namely Native Americans and Mexicans. Coraci employs Man of 1,000 Races Rob Schneider to play Ramon the burro-loving peasant, and a few White comediennes (including his wife) as Native American women with such colorblind names as Never Wears Bra and Beaver Breath.

Look, if you’re a fan of Sandler’s brand of mean-spirited, chop-busting, scatological humor, there’s plenty on display here. But unlike films in which Sandler gets to pal around with his best buddies while making millions on a film set, he doesn’t even appear to be having fun in this latest romp…which is a comedy, by the way. Even Vanilla Ice as Mark Twain can’t salvage any laughs. But don’t worry: if it’s a donkey with explosive diarrhea you’re looking for, you’re in good shape.

Eight Crazy Nights

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: Seth Kearsley

Writers: Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Adam Sandler

Just because a movie is animated doesn’t mean it’s necessarily for kids. Then again, an animated movie that’s about the holiday of Hanukkah might make you think that maybe it’s family friendly, or at least entertaining. As for Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, it’s none of the above. As with most of Sandler’s protagonists—when he’s not being a Native American-raised martial arts action hero—Davey Stone is a real jerk who also happens to be an alcoholic with a tragic past. Continuing the trend of Sandler’s films, Davey goes through a redemptive arc that ultimately makes him a more worthwhile human being by the movie’s end.

The problem with the journey in Eight Crazy Nights is that it’s not the least bit funny, enjoyable, or heart-warming, and it barely touches on holiday themes at all. Instead, it really centers on a strange, diminutive, hairy old gremlin of a man with mismatched feet whose big heart goes unappreciated in a town full of jerks. It’s just a shame that Davey is the biggest jerk of them all, so even when the reason behind all his pain is revealed, you can’t help but feel more than a passing pity for him. If you can stand Sandler’s nasal, whining voice as the seizure-plagued oddity that is Whitey for the entire film, you’ve already suffered more than Davey himself.

The Do Over

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Director: Steven Brill

Writers: Kevin Barnett, Chris Pappas

Maybe now's a good time to say that I no longer understand the appeal of watching a Sandler movie. I get the tendency to want to "turn your brain off" and watch some silly shenanigans, laugh at poop jokes, and have a good time. But lately, Sandler's efforts require audiences to turn their brains down to the point of flatlining where there is no chance of resuscitation; then, and only then, will the weak comedic material have a chance at eliciting laughter. The Do Over, Sandler's 2016 movie for Happy Madison's streaming partner Netflix, is arguably his dumbest to date and easily the least funny.

The only reason this hour-and-forty-eight-minute trudge though Sandler and David Spade's excuse for a trip to Puerto Rico to party with young women and get free shit from Bud Light, Ferrari, and Dunkin Donuts isn't ranked lower is because it isn't as broadly offensive as Eight Crazy Nights and The Ridiculous 6. Make no mistake, it's offensive to anyone with a baseline-functioning cortex, but it takes only a relative few cheap shots at homosexuals, the elderly, and the mentally disabled. That's Sandler showing restraint. If and when you make it to the end of this nonsensical, unfunny, and absolutely unnecessary movie, I dare you to come here and defend its idiocy while keeping a straight face. (Maybe I'm too hard on Sandler. It's not like he's claiming to have cured cancer or anything...)

The Week Of

Director: Robert Smigel

Writers: Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel

The Week Of, Sandler & Co's 2018 Netflix movie, covers the span of one week in a runtime of about two hours. However, those two hours are so tedious, so uninteresting, so downright dull that it makes you feel as if you're watching this wedding week mockumentary in real time. There's no reason for this film to exist other than contractual obligations, bonus bucks from product placement, and a way for Sandler, Smigel, and Chris Rock to maybe exorcise some personal demons. There's also no reason for you to watch this flick unless you're a diehard Sandler fan who never misses one of his movies (or are being paid to do so).

The premise of The Week Of is simple and actually had some promise for dramatic conflict and the humor that could have come from it: Sandler's character, an optimistic father of the bride-to-be who's stretching every penny to give his daughter the wedding of her dreams (or possibly his dreams), navigates awkward family relations, both with his own eccentric and sprawling brood and that of Rock's family. Complicating factors is that Rock's character is a super-successful LA-based surgeon who prioritizes chasing tail over spending time with his family. At the end of the week (and two grueling hours), both men inevitably reconcile their differences and their own personal shortcomings, but is such a weakly achieved resolution that it rings hollow.

Unfortunately, even for those among you who love Sandler's particular brand of humor, there's little of it here to enjoy. Sandler screeches in his affected voice to the point of going hoarse, Rock's hornball character mistakes Uncle Seymour's leg stumps for a particularly firm pair of breasts during an awkward dream scene (the movie attempts to get a lot of physical humor out of Jim Barone, most of it cringe-worthy), and there's no shortage of mild jabs tinged with racism, sexual perversion, and the stigma of mental illness. You know, the usual. The Week Of is pretty mild on the offensiveness scale, dead-on-arrival when it comes to laughs, and completely flatlines on heart. Skip it and save yourself two hours.

Anger Management

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: Peter Segal

Writer: David Dorfman

You might think that Jack Nicholson being in this film might raise the standard for his co-stars a bit, but in fact his innate ability is diluted by Happy Madison’s bizarre brand of humor. There’s the usual low-brow humor, the nods to New York—Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Yankees Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens make terrible cameos—and a surprising amount of 9/11 jabs for a movie that came out in 2003. The only thing more surprising than Sandler’s Dave Buznik dating Marisa Tomei is Giuliani shouts for him to “give her a five-second frencher” in front of a packed Yankee Stadium.

The one thing this comedy has on the earlier entries in the list is that at least it elicited some laughs: Kevin Nealon and a fat cat named Meatball were funnier by far than the rest of the cast. Perhaps the fault lies in the premise, in which Dave’s propensity to bottle up his emotions eventually leads to a court-mandated anger management course. This brings him into the scope of Nicholson’s guru Dr. Buddy Rydell, as well as characters played by Sandler’s usual cast of friends and family. The final punchline could cause you to slam your computer screen down in frustration, so viewer beware.

Just Go with It

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Director: Dennis Dugan

Writers: Allan Loeb (screenplay), Timothy Dowling (screenplay), I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay "Cactus Flower"), Abe Burrows (stage play), Pierre Barillet (French play), Jean-Pierre Grédy (French play)

Just Go With It feels like it was made up as the cast and crew went along. That's probably half right. The adaptation once-removed began its life as the French play Fleur de cactus by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy. Tony Award-winner Abe Burrows then adapted the play for the Broadway stage before I.A.L. Diamond scripted the farce for the big screen as Cactus Flower in 1969; that turn earned Goldie Hawn an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. The story was so well-received throughout its run that it was even adapted as a Bollywood movie in 2005. But it was 2011's Just Go With It that likely marks the end of the play's string of adaptations for the foreseeable future.

One modern change that Sandler & Co.'s movie makes to the original story is the removal of the lovestruck Toni's suicide attempt at being spurned by the object of her affection. That's a big yikes even among Sandler's worst moments, so that edge has been softened a great deal. However, the focus has also been shifted onto the womanizing doctor (Sandler) who pretends to be unhappily married to get dates without romantic attachments. That plan backfires when he meets a young woman (Brooklyn Decker, whose slow-motion beach scene is probably all that anyone will remember from this movie) he's actually interested in, but has to prove to her that he's an unhappily married man headed for divorce. Obviously, he recruits his best friend / office manager (Jennifer Aniston) and her kids to fill in the family roles, a totally normal thing to do.

Ultimately, all the originality of the source material is wrung out by this adaptation, even with the changes. Just Go With It takes the story from a farce to a outright nonsense. The cast and their parts to play are serviceable, especially those with a brief cameo here and there, but this movie is just another round of Sandler and his pals on a paid vacation. It's fine as fluff and little else.

Sandy Wexler

Director: Steven Brill

Writers: Dan Bulla, Tim Herlihy, Paul Sado, Adam Sandler

The greatest sin of Sandy Wexler isn't overt racism, sexism, or any other -ism you can think of, it's simply that there's no reason for this film to exist beyond fulfilling the contract obligations with Netflix. Sandler stars as the title character, an inept and annoying yet well-meaning talent manager who discovers a once-in-a-lifetime talent in Courtney, played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson. You can probably guess where the basic plot goes from there and chances are good you're not far off. It's fine for a few laughs but the movie's existence is just unnecessary.

Sandler's character is like a mix between Gilbert Gottfreid and The Lonely Island's Creep. Or, for Sandler fans, a character with a voice caught somewhere between Little Nicky and Whitey from Eight Crazy Nights. If the voice alone isn't enough to grate on your nerves over the course of the 131-minute runtime, Sandy's jay-like cackle of a laugh certainly will. This is by design as Sandler's real-life pals (too many cameos to list here) remark on the peculiar character of Wexler through a video-diary framing device. I much prefer this tactic rather than shoehorning all of his pals into the story itself.

Part love letter to the 1990s, Los Angeles, and Hollywood in particular, Sandy Wexler takes a page from Forrest Gump and incorporates archival footage into the on-screen narrative, sparingly though. Of course there are the requisite 90s jokes, like jabs at the "Dream Team" of O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, and Robert Blake, alongside a laundry list of 90s name-drops and commercial product placements. (The most egregious one is easily Boston Market, which supplies the victuals for a full dinner scene.) It aims to be a rags-to-riches tale of a hard-working 90s talent manager, but fumbles mightily to achieve anything of importance.

Surprisingly light on the gross-out gags (though a raccoon does meet a violent end), there's some pretty dark humor at play here when things inevitably go south for Sandy. Sandler loves to play oddball characters with a heart of gold who are wronged by society in some way, only to win people over in the end. Sandy Wexler is stamped out of that same die.

Sandy Wexler ends much the same way other Sandler films end, with an unrealistic and perfect bowtie befitting his gold-hearted character. However, 90s fans might want to stick around through the credits, at least for a little bit, for a nod back to Sandler's stand-up days and cameos from some fan-favorite characters.

The Longest Yard (2005)

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Director: Peter Segal

Writers: Albert S. Ruddy, Tracy Keenan Wynn, Sheldon Turner

The Longest Yard is another one of those mid-level Sandler films that is only mildly offensive at worst and a tepid comedy at best. There was really no reason to reboot the 1974 Oscar-nominated comedy/drama starring Burt Reynolds in the lead role, but here it is anyway. Reynolds turns in a supporting role alongside some of Sandler's usual cast members like Chris Rock and Rob Schneider, but the main draw here is the boatload of pro athletes from both football and wrestling professions.

What's not a draw, however, is how The Longest Yard is mostly a shot-for-shot remake with the exception of cutting out the original's darker comedy and at times brutal violence in order to feature Sandler's brand of bathroom humor. It's such an unforgettable flick that it honestly I'd completely lost all memory of it; it wasn't even in my line-up until it popped up on a related Netflix search. If you want a sports comedy/drama, you can do better; this one's only for devoted completionists.

Murder Mystery

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Director: Kyle Newacheck

Writer: James Vanderbilt

Murder Mystery is Sandler’s 2019 original Netflix offering and his latest cash-in on a free European vacation. Not that I blame him. Though the usual Sandler & Friends comedy crew is nowhere to be seen in this movie, he does get to reunite with leading lady Jennifer Aniston (Just Go with It) for a light-hearted comedy that includes exactly what its title promises: When NYPD sergeant Nick Spitz (Sandler) surprises his hairdresser wife Audrey (Aniston) with a European vacation they can’t afford, a series of unexpected events land them in the middle of high society … and as the prime suspects in the murder of a world-famous billionaire. Let’s break this down into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, shall we?

On the good side, the cast is great and they’re having the time of their lives. Sandler and Aniston have an easy chemistry together that’s only been topped by the pairing of Sandler and Drew Barrymore; I’d be fine seeing either duo get together again in the future. Luke Evans gets to play a mysterious and charismatic viscount (who’s flying a commercial airline for some reason) opposite Terence Stamp as his ruthless billionaire uncle, Gemma Arterton as a flighty star of the silver screen, and John Kani as a one-eyed, one-handed colonel of questionable origin. Standouts include Dany Boon’s tropey Interpol inspector (with amazing smoke rings that I hope aren’t digital creations) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson’s growling bear of a bodyguard. They’re all having a blast in Italy and it shows. Additionally, it's nice to see Sandler as the everyman character thrown into a world of upper-crust socialites, something he hasn't done since his heyday.

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Image via Netflix

As for the bad, while the plot of the “mystery” has fun and funny moments in the middle, the dialogue is ham-fisted and exposition-heavy on the ends. There’s not really much here to chew on and the mystery whodunit hook is a bit of an afterthought. That’s a shame because the cast is all-in on the premise, but Agatha Christie this is not. It even wastes the opportunity to let Sandler bumble around a bit a la Clouseau, opting instead to repeatedly make fun of his character’s inability to shoot straight or pass the detective exam.

And that brings us to the Ugly section. This shouldn’t surprise Sandler fans but Murder Mystery really chews some jokes to death like a dog with a particularly dry bone. Happily there are no overt joke-attacks on minorities of any category in this story. Sadly, the whole ordeal ends up being a two-hour setup for a punchline that falls flat. Hey, at least the whole European vacation was bought and paid for by the film’s presumed sponsor, Claritin, which is mentioned roughly a dozen times. (Don’t worry, they worked that into the plot, too, and it’s as dreadful as Sandler’s choice to sport a mustache this time around.) In the end, Murder Mystery is a very middling movie; you can do better, and you can do far, far worse.

Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh

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Not technically a movie at all, Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh is indeed a Netflix Original. The streaming service and the veteran comedian have a long history of successful collaborations, and likely a lucrative future ahead of them. Personally, I no longer see the appeal in Sandler's brand of comedy which has grown stale, increasingly weird and disconnected, and just downright unfunny. But I'm in the minority here as Sandler still has millions of fans around the world.

The funniest moments are the ad libs and bloopers that are part of the fun of seeing a live show, along with some of Sandler's anecdotes about his childhood, whether they're real or not. (There's also the reveal of weird quirks, like the fact that Sandler apparently doesn't like audiences clapping along in time with his songs.) And regardless of how I feel about his current comedy shtick, Sandler is still one of the great musical comedians in history. He does his best to deliver original songs in different musical styles like something approaching "The Lonely Island." Unfortunately, his material hasn't evolved or matured beyond his 12-year-old target audience to deliver something fresh and original. He can afford to get away with this lazy approach since the sold-out arenas and club venue audiences continue to eat it up.

If these same jokes and songs were performed by any other comedian in the world in any other venue, you would likely hear a pin drop. Oddly enough, the special proves this idea out when Sandler and his accompanying piano player set up a session in the subway, only to have the majority of people hurry past. And part of the Cult of Sandler is having his comedian buddies show up and join the fun, so you can expect a cameo or two as the special goes along.

While Sandler surely earned his laughs in this comedy tour, like any other special of this sort, the amped-up laugh track and editing choices certainly make it seem funnier than it is. There are genuine laughs, for sure, but they're few and far between in this disjointed, sporadic, and sometimes bizarre comedy special. But hey, at least it's not as offensive as some of the other entries on this list.

Mr. Deeds

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: Steven Brill

Writers: Clarence Budington Kelland (short story “Opera Hat”), Robert Riskin (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), Tim Herlihy

Definitely one of Sandler’s goofier installments and one that keeps in line with Happy Madison Productions’ more successful films, Mr. Deeds is also one of Sandler & Co.’s relatively less offensive films. For this particular list, that means we’re starting to shift away from “don’t bother watching this movie” to “you could do worse” territory. We’re not quite there yet, but for those of you—like myself—who like to indulge in Sandler’s older films from time to time, Mr. Deeds is a less guilty pleasure.

Now that doesn’t mean it should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frank Capra’s 1936 classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town beyond “Mr. Deeds is based on Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.” That Oscar-winning film saw Gary Cooper’s small-town tuba player Longfellow Deeds inherit a fortune, only to have the big city buzzards come calling. Mr. Deeds actually ports over a number of the superior film’s elements, but falls far short of matching its charm. It’s silly and more or less harmless, and it features one of Sandler’s more likeable characters throughout the movie, but the best thing that can come of watching it is an urge to check out the original 1936 Capra film.

The Cobbler

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This title is currently listed as Blu-ray/DVD Only.

Director: Tom McCarthy

Writers: Tom McCarthy, Paul Sado

I’ll be honest, this one surprised me. One of the lesser known of Sandler’s films, The Cobbler centers on Max Simkin, a modern-day shoe repairman living and working in a timeless New York neighborhood. Along with his neighbor Jimmy the barber (Steve Buscemi), Max tries to keep his generations-old business afloat as wealthy realtors and local thugs attempt to buy up property or strong-arm tenants out of their apartments. Things take a turn for the strange, however, when Max discovers that he’s able to take on the appearance of his customers—i.e. literally step into other peoples’ shoes—thanks to his family’s old sole-stitching machine. It’s an interesting idea that is sadly wasted on a plot that turns into a crime caper rather than a tale of small business owners resisting gentrification.

That being said, The Cobbler is worth a watch if only to see other actors do their best Sandler impressions. His own character isn’t the most likeable, especially considering some of the poor choices he makes while walking in other peoples’ shoes, but neither is he the worst iteration. The tenuous hold this plot has on your attention takes another wacky turn in a strange twist in the final act. You may see the first part of it coming, but the final reveal opens up a whole new world that exists widely outside the scope and tone of this tale.

The Waterboy

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This title is currently listed as Blu-ray/DVD Only.

Director: Frank Coraci

Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

The Waterboy is one of the 90s comedy "greats" that launched Sandler's movie career. Along with Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy was a prime example of 90s-era Sandler at his best, delivering a dopey, simple character with a heart of gold who actually grew emotionally over the course of the movie. It also remains one of Sandler's Top 5 box office performers, Top 3 if you don't count the animated hits in the Hotel Transylvania franchise. But does the 1998 film still hold up more than 20 years later?

I confess that this is a tough one for me to separate out the nostalgia factor from the film-studies aspect, but I'll do my best. The premise is this: A simple country boy who loves water (and his mama) is discovered to have an innate brutal streak, leading him to become a member of the college football team he was previously providing refreshments for. Complicating things are his overbearing mother, his supposedly deceased (of dehydration in the Sahara) father, a former flame who's a near-felon, and some troubling academic records. But beyond all that, it's a very solid sports dramedy that actually has you rooting for the underdog of all underdogs.

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Image via Buena Vista Pictures

Still, a lot of Sandler's more problematic comedic stylings can be found here, something that's hard to ignore in the Year of Our Reactionary Lord 2019. The central message of "fight bullies with violence" surely wouldn't fly too well these days, just as its treatment of folks with, shall we say, educational shortcomings and potshots at minorities of all shapes, persuasions, and colors wouldn't be well-received either. It didn't seem to be as big of a deal back in 1998 because the folks who were bothered by it lacked a place to voice their opinions to the masses and/or were afraid of being the voice of dissent. Then again, Sandler was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for his performance, so, yeah, people knew The Waterboy was a mess.

The difference here is that the title character is rarely the lowest on the morality totem pole, even while he's being bullied by everyone around him; he's the hero you root for and his rising confidence is well-earned. He and his growing group of supporters, comprised of people from all sorts of backgrounds and lifestyles, are the winners at the end of the day, which is how it should be, so we can more easily overlook a few blue jokes here or there. And it helps that it's still so damn funny and quotable. Enjoy this one relatively guilt-free.

Hubie Halloween

Director: Steven Brill

Writers: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Hubie Halloween, named for Sandler's title character Hubie Dubois (which is intentionally just a syllable or two away from a Scooby-Doobie Doo reference), is a return to 90s comedy form for Sandler & Co., for better or worse. The Halloween comedy gives you exactly what you'd expect and look for in a Sandler flick: Easy laughs, a little bit of gross-out humor, spoon-fed moral philosophies, and a heaping helping of heart wrapped up in an absurd adventure. It's not offensive, it's not particularly funny (outside of the Thermos gags, which delighted me to no end), and it's not scary or original (this thing's as tropey as every horror movie it semi-spoofs); it's just fine.

The cast and their characters here are the real draw. Sandler's usual cohorts like Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Maya Rudolph and Tim Meadows are here, and they're hamming it up as usual. A surprising addition here is Oscar-nominated actress June Squibb as Sandler’s mother who gets to play a rather fun role throughout the proceedings. Shaquille O'Neal, Betsy Sodaro, and even surprise cameo / guest star Ben Stiller get in on the fun, too.

The movie also stars pretty much every member of Sandler's family, as well as Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Kenan Thompson, Paris Berelc and Noah Schnapp. I appreciate Sandler keeping his friends and family close (and paid) for these projects, I just wish they'd put a little more time and effort into the productions themselves. There are easy-to-spot red herrings, bailouts on interesting directions the movie could have taken, and reveals that result in more of a shrug than anything else. But hey, at least the cast and crew had fun.

Stay tuned for the credits bloopers / outtakes sequence for a little extra laugher, but you can definitely skip the main credits sequence and its awful songs.

Click

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: Frank Coraci

Writers: Steve Koren, Mark O’Keefe

Which scenario is more unlikely: that a magical remote would allow you to control time, or that Adam Sandler’s schlubby guys continue to end up with women like Marisa Tomei and Kate Beckinsale? Well in Click, anything goes. This movie sees Sandler as Michael Newman, a harried businessman who simply lacks the hours in a day to both spend quality time with his family and to stay one step ahead of the competition at work. Enter Christopher Walken as a presumed employee of the “Beyond” section of Bed, Bath & Beyond who offers Michael a life-changing remote.

While Sandler manages to work quite a bit of low-brow humor into this film thanks to the remote’s endless gags, the loss of control over Michael’s life thanks to the self-programming device is actually increasingly painful to watch. His kids literally grow up before his eyes, his romantic relationship falls apart in the blink of an eye, and his health takes a nosedive, even as his success in the business world skyrockets. Yes, Rob Schneider continues to do terrible, racist impressions, and yes, this movie takes cheap shots at transsexuals, but if you can mentally edit them out, there’s a decent modern reflection on how we spend our time and ultimately what’s the most important thing in our lives.

Spanglish

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: James L. Brooks

Writer: James L. Brooks

Sandler’s shift into more dramatic work is a small part of his overall filmography, but with three-time Oscar winner James L. Brooks writing and directing this film, Sandler would really have to try hard to tank it. And yet, he almost succeeds in doing just that. The story revolves around a Mexican immigrant and her daughter who end up working for a stereotypically rich and ignorant White American family. Sandler plays John Clasky, a wildly successful chef—who’s once referred to in the movie as the best chef in the U.S.—who’s only real concern is that the popularity of his new restaurant will ruin its charm. This movie’s subtitle should be: White People Problems.

And yet, despite the sad reality that is the myriad problems between John and his wife Deborah (Téa Leoni), Spanglish should really be focusing on Paz Vega’s Flor and her daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce). The entire story is actually framed within Cristina’s admission letter to a prestigious university, one which chronicles her childhood under her flawed yet loving and inspirational mother. Spanglish is not really in keeping with Sandler’s other movies, but is actually a movie that just happens to have Sandler in it.

50 First Dates

This title is currently listed as Blu-ray / DVD Only.

Director: Peter Segal

Writer: George Wing

Probably the best of Sandler’s romantic comedies cast in the Happy Madison vein, 50 First Dates shows a sweeter side of the comedian. Even though his character Henry Roth—a promiscuous marine animal veterinarian, of all things—is known for having one night stands with tourists visiting Hawaii, he quickly changes his tune once he falls for Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore). It’s soon revealed that Lucy is a special case, having lost her ability to create and retain new memories after a terrible car accident. Due to her disability, her family and villagers of the small Hawaiian community band together to help keep her days drama-free; Henry gets pulled into this plan and tries to improve upon it in his own way.

While there’s more of Schneider being offensive and animals vomiting on people than this otherwise light-hearted romantic comedy should have, 50 First Dates remains one of the best of Sandler’s movies to date. It helps that Barrymore is endlessly charming and that the focus is put on helping her character acclimate to her condition rather than to churning out fart jokes. It’s actually fairly well balanced between those two objectives, so it’s a movie that just about anyone can enjoy.

Big Daddy

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Image via Sony Pictures

This title is currently listed as DVD Only.

Director: Dennis Dugan

Writers: Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Arguably the best (and least offensive) of Sandler’s comedies, Big Daddy also offers up Sandler’s most likeable character in his filmography. As usual, he plays someone who’s naturally talented but is living far below his ability. In essence, Sandler’s at his best when he’s a lovable slacker who must learn to grow up throughout the course of a movie. While I’m still waiting for Sandler himself to experience this maturation process, Big Daddy’s Sonny Koufax is the ideal version of this trope.

Sonny, who works at a toll booth despite his law degree, accidentally ends up caring for a young boy named Julian (played by Cole and Dylan Sprouse) whom he uses in an ill-advised attempt at convincing his girlfriend that he’s ready for a serious commitment. When that obviously blows up in his face, Sonny is left to try to raise Julian on his own with all sorts of the hilarious and yet heartfelt interactions that come with the territory. It’s one of Sandler’s most quotable movies and succeeds quite well when the plot points are shifted over to the film’s supporting cast, allowing Sandler to churn out a natural and relaxed performance. Best of all, it doesn’t end quite the way you think it would, lending this otherwise farcical tale a bit of bittersweet believability.

Hotel Transylvania 2

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This title is currently listed as Blu-ray/DVD Only, as is the original Hotel Transylvania, but you can watch Hotel Transylvania 3 streaming now!

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers: Robert Smigel, Adam Sandler

This one surprised me. A wacky CG-animated sequel to the 2012 title, Hotel Transylvania 2 has all the cartoonish charm, bizarro action, and off-kilter heart that Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack) is known for, along with earnestly funny moments from Sandler and his pals. Without having seen the first movie (which is available to rent on Netflix but not to stream), I had no idea what I was in for and honestly expected the sequel to be a joyless, sugary mess rife with callbacks.

Instead, this kid-friendly comedy that puts family drama at its center with an overall message to just be yourself is easily one of the best things to have Sandler's name attached to it. When Mavis the vampire marries Jonathan the human--which inevitably leads to a son, Dennis, whose heritage is a constant source of speculation and interest--some light-hearted tension between the monstrous brood and the "normal" family develops. Drac (Sandler), Dennis' Vampa (vampire grandpa, obviously) decides to take him on a secret mission to find the monster inside himself, and enlists his buddies to help with the plan. Ultimately, it all comes down to Dennis learning to be himself, which puts an end to all the conflict. And since Sandler & Co. are at their best while in cartoonish form, while restrained from being their worst by the PG rating, it's a balance that's surprisingly enjoyable and should stand up to multiple viewings. It's easily the safest Sandler movie on Netflix to watch with your kids!

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

Director: Noah Baumbach

Writer: Noah Baumbach

It was a close call, but Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) doesn't quite dethrone the #1 movie. This is the sort of movie that reminds you just how talented Sandler can be when given a smart script and surrounded with talented actors who aren't simply pals and yes-men. And when I say "talented", I mean people like Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Marvel, Judd Hirsch and the rising star Grace Van Patten. So technically this is an ensemble piece, which helps to dilute Sandler's manic screen presence while also not forcing him to shoulder the narrative burden. In short, the modern Sandler is at his best in small doses and when removed from his usual comedy company.

Now while it's definitely not my favorite of Sandler's films, The Meyerowitz Stories is easily among the best. It's a well-told tale that sees the very dysfunctional siblings--and to a lesser extent their affected, privileged offspring--attempting to come to terms with their patriarch's life-changing decisions, like selling his home and a life's worth of artwork. The collection of vignettes focusing on the estranged members of the Meyerowitz family is essentially another installment in the "Successful White People Problems: The Movie" sub-genre, so if that's your bag, you'll definitely enjoy this. And if you're a fan of snappy, fast-talking dialogue and quirky characters with frustrating yet familiar dispositions, this will be your new favorite film.