Don’t you think every form of content is easily available these days? I mean, some ten-fifteen years ago, it wasn’t that easy to find a true-crime series, a comedy special, or a baking show to watch while having dinner. But then came Netflix, and our lives were never the same. Make no mistake, I’m not complaining and trying to cling on to nostalgia here. But thanks to Netflix, we’re now spoiled for choices. If something doesn’t work for us, we move onto the next with a swipe of the finger. Almost every Tuesday, a standup special drops on Netflix. It has almost become the norm now. While some of these are genuinely great, the abundance of content in this genre (and every other genre) does kill the excitement. However, an Adam Sandler stand-up special, helmed by director Josh Safdie, is still a very special thing. I don’t think I have to introduce Adam Sandler to you. But for the uninitiated, Josh Safdie is the elder of the Safdie brothers (the younger one is Bennie), who have made quite a name for themselves by making eccentric, anxiety-inducing but oddly satisfying movies like Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019). The last one starred Sandler in what’s now considered a role (and movie) that redefined his career. Not that Sandler was ever a bad actor. He always had the chops, but the man was forever marked as a comedic actor—until the Safdies came onto the scene and helped him flip that.
In case you are wondering if a comedic actor automatically makes a good comedian, let me tell you Sandler has been on the stand-up comedy scene for decades now. Once upon a time, he used to be known for a peculiar, absurdist kind of comedy. It’s just that his other profession massively overshadowed that. Love You is Adam Sandler getting back to his roots. It’s a reminder to us that the man is one hell of a comedian, as well. Yes, it is a stand-up special that gets dropped on Netflix on a Tuesday, but it’s not the usual kind. How could that ever happen when Josh Safdie is running the show?
So it begins with Sandler stepping out of his car, arriving at the venue. His windshield is badly broken, about which he complains to someone. Quite a number of people have arrived already, who greet Sandler, but he has no time for them. He’s already late and ends up being rude to a young boy, which he regrets a moment later. It almost feels like the start of a film, where Sandler is playing this anxious comedian, maybe an exaggerated version of himself. The situation gets further anxious around the backstage, when Sandler is interrupted by a lady who makes him talk to her son through a video call. The guy is in hospital after an accident, and he wants Sandler to visit right away as he believes he won’t make it. But Sandler has a comedy show to do after all. He walks onto the stage and looks at the three big digital screens behind. He needs the tech guy to make them work, but there’s some sort of problem. Obviously, the big question here is: why would a standup set need digital screens? But this is no usual standup after all. Sandler also has a piano player on the stage who’s doing all right. Unfortunately, there’s another problem. Someone has messed up the comedian’s coffee, as he takes a sip and lets us know. That gets fixed soon by the producer, and finally, he gets going. We have a show in hand, after all!
All of this is staged, of course, but it also shows how you can add life to the format. It is clearly not just a comedian appearing on the stage, telling jokes for a good hour, and leaving; it can be much more than that. Like here, Sandler decides to sing. Yes, some of you might be aware of the man’s singing abilities, but thanks to Netflix, it’s now on full display. And Sandler doesn’t use his musical talent as filler. He expertly weaves a stand-up comedy musical together when he starts “singing” some of the jokes. The experiment mostly works, with the segment where he foreshadows the joke is gonna be scary and awkward being the highlight. He does keep his promise by delivering some of the best jokes here—the best one involving a man trying to watch pornography on his iPhone but accidentally connecting it to the Bluetooth of his wife’s car, resulting in the kids getting to hear something that they clearly shouldn’t. It’s not quite an original joke, but nobody has ever sung it like that, which makes Sandler a winner.
As far as the other jokes go, there are plenty. Even with all the charades, Sandler does end up telling mostly the same number of jokes that are told in a usual Netflix comedy special. It’s unrealistic to expect all the jokes to land, but Sandler has managed to nail most of them, that I can tell. My favorite one would be the one where a genie grants the diabolical wish of a man who’s being touched by Ben Stiller at an airport, and I really don’t want to say more and spoil it for you. Another favorite would be Sandler’s dog suggesting he go pink with his genitals after applying Botox to them. If absurdist cringe comedy is your thing, then you’ll clearly have a gala time watching these, I’m sure. As far as the jokes that don’t work, the bits about balloons and the invention of the word “answer” were quite a drag, but I don’t mind cutting Sandler some slack here.
I wouldn’t be at peace if I didn’t talk about how Sandler ends the show, and it’s not something you would imagine. Turns out, the screens were important after all. Because Sandler needed them to show the audience a montage of every single comedian ever—from Eddie Murphy to Jerry Seinfeld to Chris Rock to Robin Williams. I’m just naming the ones I remember, but there was literally everyone. As the montage goes on, Sandler sings a song that acts as a tribute to all of them and also tells us how comedy has always saved us. Thankfully, he presents it in a way that it doesn’t seem superficial or preachy at all. Instead, I ended up with teary eyes, which rarely happens after watching a standup. Sandler has clearly done it, and he deserves all the love for this one, and so does Josh Safdie.
