Adam Sandler Doesn't 'Hustle' - That's His Charm
#179: "Hustle," "Peaky Blinders," "In The Mood For Love," "Black Swan"
Edition 179:
Hey movie lovers!
As always, you can find a podcast version of this newsletter on Apple or Spotify. Thank you so much for listening and spreading the word!
In this week’s newsletter: A new Adam Sandler movie on Netflix, and he’s weirdly winning me over? Plus the return of one of my favorite TV shows, some deeper dives for fans of Everything, Everywhere All At Once, and a psychological thriller. In this week’s “Trailer Watch,” why studio franchise movies are the new indie darlings.
Hustle
Legitimately one of the first things I ever wrote and published on the internet in my life was a takedown of Adam Sandler. In fact, I think I created an account on Medium — a free blogging site — way back in June 2016, more than two years before I started this newsletter, just so I could have an outlet to trash his juvenile Netflix comedy The Do-Over.
My vitriol towards America’s favorite man child was born out of a begrudging respect, that there was a man who was getting paid handsomely to make movies in the form of paid vacations with his friends (he’s admitted as much, publicly).
Every few years, Sandler would appear in a “serious” movie and remind us that if he wanted to, he could be one of the best actors on the planet, and for movie lovers like me that stung even more. How could the guy capable of Punch-Drunk Love, The Meyerwitz Stories, Uncut Gems and the first hour of Funny People spend so much time making Grown Ups 2 and Sandy Wexler?
The thing I didn’t appreciate until now, with the release of his latest Netflix project Hustle, is that the same slacker quality from column B is what makes column A so special.
Unlike other funnymen throughout Hollywood history, who have pursued Oscars and/or critical respectability by starring in dramas, Sandler shows no strain of effort. Of course he does work hard — he makes movies at a rate that would make most other movie stars sweat — but he never appears to be trying too hard, as Will Ferrell (Downhill), or Jim Carrey (Man on the Moon, The Number 23) have done at times. Sandler retains his essential Sandler-ness, so audiences can still be delighted by him even without the aide of poop jokes.
This movie sets him up as a weary NBA scout, traveling across the globe looking for hidden talent. He stumbles across a once-in-a-generation prospect in Spain that no one’s ever heard of, and shepherds him through the pre-draft process.
It’s a serious role, one that doesn’t allow for Sandler to sing or yell or otherwise talk in his signature falsetto. But it’s also noticeably absent of any dramatic monologues or heroic moments. It’s humble, if such a thing can be said for a guy who stars in a movie produced by the company he owns.
Still, Sandler knows what his fans want. In the wake of Uncut Gems, which co-starred Kevin Garnett and gained a fervent fandom in the basketball community, it’s no accident his Happy Madison Productions partnered with the NBA to produce what can only be described as a feature film extension of NBA online culture. The cast is a who’s who of NBA stars past and present, from Dr. J and Kenny Smith to Kyle Lowry and Khris Middleton, Dirk Nowtizki and Shaquille O’Neal. Social media, podcasts and “Inside The NBA” are used as devices to move the plot forward, much like they do in the NBA season. And the use of official logos, filming from teams’ actual facilities and even the bench of an actual NBA game bring the movie at times close to the uncanny valley of semi-documentary.
Which is really the only reason for the movie’s existence, other than Sandler. The storytelling here is so simple it’s practically insignificant, telling a story that’s satisfying but glaringly obvious. That’s par for the course in a sports movie, but thankfully the attention to the sports culture within the movie elevates it into something worth watching (if you’re interested in the machinations of the NBA).
The movie’s co-star is Juancho Hernangomez, an actual NBA player standing 6-foot-9. His antagonist is Anthony Edwards, a real life No. 1 pick. So the movie’s basketball scenes, which are really just about all of the scenes, play as true to life as could possibly be done in a fictional setting.
Sprinkled around the movie are recognizable actors — Queen Latifah in the thankless supportive wife role, Ben Foster as the classic authority figure villain, Robert Duvall for legitimately five minutes of screen time, even less than that for Heidi Gardner and Jaleel White — but again this movie comes down to Sandler and the NBA.
The beauty in me recommending any Adam Sandler movie is that, much like Sandler’s own characters, the effort required is minimal. People enjoy, much to my chagrin, having something to turn on and half-pay attention to at the end of a long day. This particular entry might be slightly over-qualified for that assignment, but it will gladly fill the role.
Something New
Peaky Blinders S6 (Netflix): I don’t normally make preemptive recommendations but the two-and-a-half year wait for season six of one of my favorite TV series finally ends today (Friday, June 10). All your favorite characters return — except Helen McCrory’s Aunt Polly, RIP — as we find out the fate of the Shelby family in this epic final season.
For those that have never watched it, I’d put season 1 of “Peaky Blinders” up against pretty much any other season of TV ever. Now’s as good a time as any to start — and pro tip, even though I’m almost always #TeamNoSubtitles, you’re going to want them on for this show. By order of the peaky f’n blinders!
Something Old
In The Mood For Love (2000, HBO Max): One thing that I’d recommend to anyone who saw this year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, and inevitably loved it, is to now go back and dig into the movies that heavily influenced it. For example (no spoilers), in the universe where our main characters didn’t get married and each turned out to be successful and rich, the setting and vibe is very much cribbed from the work of Wong Kar-Wai and specifically the rain-drenched Hong Kong of this bittersweet rom-com. It’s well worth your time.
Also, for those unfamiliar with the long and distinguished action career of Michelle Yeoh, HBO Max also has the 2000 classic Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, which you should check out.
Something to Stream
Black Swan (Amazon Prime, Hulu): In search of a psychological thriller to show my friends this past weekend, I revisited Darren Aronofsky’s thriller about the high stakes world of NYC ballet. Natalie Portman stars as a ballerina who is driven insane by her obsessive pursuit of stardom, flanked by a carefree colleague Mila Kunis and a handsy director Vincent Cassel.
The movie is like a pot of water under high heat, slowly starting to bubble and gain momentum until it goes full boil in the final minutes. Trigger warning — this movie features a lot of cringe-worthy body gross-outs, whether it’s crushed toes or fingernails or broken bones. But the effect is to make you as uncomfortable as possible until the even more unnerving emotional content takes over, all leading to a masterful climax. It’s my favorite of Aronofsky’s twisty mind-bombs (others being Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and mother!), and one of my favorite modern psychological thrillers full-stop.
Trailer Watch: Prey
The best case scenario for studio filmmaking is if these ever-expanding “cinematic universes” decide they don’t need to constantly raise their stakes. Ordinarily, a hit movie becomes a bigger sequel and a massive trilogy and on and on until a humble street car racing movie has transformed its cars into literal space ships (Fast & Furious). It gets out of hand…quickly.
That’s why I was pleased to see that the new Predator entry is a small, stripped down story with unknown actors (a departure from the other six, yes SIX, entries since 1987). Not to mention, Native American representation!
Franchises…the indie movies of the future!