Sandy Wexler Review

I have a confession, well actually, it is more of a gloat: I have not seen an Adam Sandler film on release since 2005's "The Longest Yard" remake, but that ends with Netflix's "Sandy Wexler," the third Adam Sandler flick exclusive to the streaming service. Considering how many films he puts out, it would be safe to say that I am not a fan of the actor. Actually, that would be putting it lightly.

But "Sandy Wexler," complete with all the "Adam Sandler-esque" movie trademarks (including, but not limited to: an annoying voice, a "funny" walk, supporting characters of friends instead of actors), wore me down with its charm. I have no idea where the hell the charm came from, there shouldn't anything here that should work, but something happened about half way through the film, and that thing was that my lip formed a smile.

Set in the 90's, Sandler plays the titular Sandy Wexler, a talent agent who is more than okay representing creeps and the non-talented (including Kevin James as Ted Rafferty, a forgetful ventriloquist, and Terry Crews as Bobby Barnes, a wrestler). He is good-natured and is ever too happy to tell his clients what they want to hear; "... the audition went well," for example, even when it didn't. But one day when babysitting two young girls at an amusement park, he discovers Courtney Clarke (Jennifer Hudson) singing in a chicken costume.

Courtney of course makes it big, but Wexler comes to the harsh realization that he cannot support her and the newfound fame. He is heartbroken, but here is where we see actual acting from the staring actor, a level of emotion and depth I did not know he had. Sandy attempts to focus on his other clients, but his distraction by her omnipresent fame causes a string of misfires that causes these clients to leave him, well, save for ventriloquist (who's own big break comes from the suicide of a clown). The rest is Hallmark Channel Original Movie territory, but perhaps that is why everything works so well. We watch them become friends, care for each other, discover themselves through the other- it is a story as dull-as-dishwater, but it is executed effortlessly here.

The film breaks from the 90's backdrop to find celebrities, and has-beens, playing themselves, all dressed up drinking out of fancy glasses, talking about the namesake talent agent. Most of Sandler's usual crew of actors appear here, without the gimmick of having them play a character, and I think this is why the film is so successful: most of the exhausting cameos, that have littered the actor's past films, appear together and make jokes, instead of being the joke. These scenes make sense by the end of the movie, in an obvious but somehow satisfying fashion.

But there are two things that surprised me here: Adam Sandler's acting and the comedy. Both are quite solid, even with the stupid voice and if the humor occasionally dives headfirst into stupidity with silly slapstick and 90's jokes (I mean, Vanilla Ice makes an appearance). I did not expect to find myself caring about Wexler and his crush on Clarke, but I did. And I certainly did not expect to find myself laughing, but that happened too. I must have been having an off-night; this recommendation comes with an apology.