By Paul Hall
Halloween is a holiday filled with tricks and treats. And the new film Hubie Halloween (streaming on Netflix) is no exception as the comedy set in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, is ready to stop by and knock on your door.
Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) is a big kid. He still lives at home with his mom (June Squibb) in Salem. He has a crush on the prettiest girl from high school, Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen). Most important of all, he loves Halloween.
The yard is fully decorated, he has a Halloween monitor sash and gives a speech at the local elementary school as the Official Volunteer Halloween Helper — at least that’s what his card says. But this town has never accepted Hubie, despite his best efforts.
As Halloween approaches, Hubie finds himself in the middle of ghosts, goblins, an escaped mental patient, a werewolf and a whole lot of craziness all around Salem. Can he survive the night against the variety of bullies who would see him harmed?
First and foremost, this is a Sandler role you have seen a number of times before as it crosses so many of his characters from previous movies. Sandler’s Hubie conjures up visions of The Waterboy, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, all rolled into one.
To pull it off, he brings along so many of his friends that it’s hard to go through a scene without at least one or two popping in, from bigger stars like Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Squibb and Kevin James to players you remember by face, even if you don’t remember them by name. It feels like a big excuse for all of Sandler’s friends and characters from past movies to come together for a good time.
And that is the part that works with Hubie Halloween; the atmosphere that is created feels like actors who genuinely wanted to be there.
Much of the material felt old and rehashed from what has worked in the past for Sandler and crew, but their genuine affection for each other warms over what could have been a totally stale trick instead of a mildly entertaining treat.
Watch the credits for some fun outtakes of the cast and crew, and watch for appearances from Sandler regulars Tim Meadows, Dan Patrick, Maya Rudolph and Ben Stiller, among others. Plus if you look closely you might even be able to find Rob Schneider. Well, just wait for him, you can do it.
A touching tribute also exists in the credits for the late Cameron Boyce, who played Sandler’s son in the Grown Ups franchise.
Sandler showed off his acting chops in Uncut Gems last year. Those who were introduced to his efforts there will probably be turned off by this effort. But longtime fans just may enjoy seeing all the characters again, despite the leftovers that pass for many of the jokes. Sandler is loyal, there is no doubt about it, and that is endearing to me as so many individuals today will easily leave their friends behind. It’s good to spend the holidays with friends.
Paul’s Grade: C
Hubie Halloween
Rated PG-13
Stars: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Kevin James
Director: Steve Brill