Review: ‘Hubie Halloween’
After his star turn as Howard Ratner in last year’s ‘Uncut Gems’, Adam Sandler promised to make a deliberately awful film if he was snubbed during awards season. Given that ‘Hubie Halloween’ started production in July 2019, well before award nominations occur, it is safe to say that this is not the disaster-of-a-film that was promised. Nonetheless, it is filled to the brim with trademark Sandler silliness, and serves as a homecoming of sorts for the actor after playing a very serious role. While the film sets out to provide some Halloween fun, the plot is far too thin for the runtime and the comedy is extremely hit and miss.
Set in Salem on Halloween, the film follows Hubie Dubois, a Halloween fanatic who tries his best to make the day as safe as possible for those celebrating it. Unfortunately his efforts are not well received and he is the object of much abuse and ridicule from the townsfolk. On Halloween night all sorts of shenanigans ensue, including disappearances, an escaped mental patient, and a mysterious new neighbour with increasingly strange behavior. The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Steve Buscemi and Ray Liotta.
Fans of Halloween will really appreciate and enjoy the first half hour of this film, which does an excellent job in painting a picture of a town that wholeheartedly embraces the spirit of the holiday. Not a single person in Salem doesn’t celebrate. There are decorations everywhere and even the teenagers, who in any other Halloween film would complain about taking their siblings trick-or-treating, dress up and enjoy themselves. This combined with the enthusiasm of Sandler’s lead character creates a really joyful atmosphere of Halloween fun. Sadly, this doesn’t last until the end of the film.
As per usual with Sandler’s specific brand of comedy, not all of the jokes land. There are some amusing moments born of the films’ willingness to take everything to the extreme, but for the most part the humour is crude and even the gags that start out funny are overplayed to the point of boredom. This is part of the reason that the film falls flat once the plot gets going; the jokes become increasingly silly and it gets harder and harder to find enjoyment in them.
The plot itself is also partly to blame for the way that the film deteriorates. At the start, the story is split into three different arcs, there is the escaped mental patient on the loose, the disappearances that occur on Halloween night, and the odd behaviour of Hubie’s neighbour. These are all potentially exciting parts of the story, but the film doesn’t hone in on them enough and the ways they are resolved are mostly disappointing. After the halfway point, the film tends to meander, focusing on the pranks played on Hubie by the townsfolk instead of the more interesting avenues available to explore. In terms of how the story is resolved, there are definitely some missed opportunities that would have made it more Halloween-appropriate and created opportunities for more creepy moments. The ending is not helped by a monologue that spells out the films’ moral message plainly despite it being easy to understand without explanation.
Having said this, ‘Hubie Halloween’ does possess redeeming qualities, specifically the cast performances. Despite the crude humour and disappointing story choices, it is clear that the actors are having great time. Steve Buscemi gives his all in his performance as Hubie’s neighbour, Walter Lambert. It is especially great to see actors like Buscemi and Ray Liotta, best known for their serious roles, taking on comedy and just having a good time.
‘Hubie Halloween’ is a return to comedic form for Adam Sandler, including all of the silliness that that usually entails. Unfortunately, the film is largely unfunny and there are too many missed opportunities to make it more spooky. This film will go down best for fans of Adam Sandler‘s comedy films, but for those looking for a good horror-comedy or an atmospheric Halloween film this might be a bit disappointing. – Lauren Miles
Rating: 2.5/5
‘Hubie Halloween’ is now streaming on Netflix.