Adam Sandler Fans Are Loving All The References To His Old Classics In ‘Hubie Halloween’

While promoting Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler told Howard Stern that he was “going to f*cking come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay” if he didn’t get an Oscar nomination for his performance in the anxious Safdie brothers-directed film. Guess what? Sandler wasn’t nominated (he not only should have been nominated; he should have won), and he came back with… a decent movie, actually.

Hubie Halloween is one of Sandler’s better Netflix comedies. That may sound like half-hearted praise, but it’s not; I’m the one person who thinks The Week Of and Sandy Wexler are good. Hubie is Sandler in reflective mode, casting himself (someone whose broad comedies are usually met with critical scorn) as Hubie Dubois, who’s bullied for wanting to bring joy into the world and help others. But mostly, it’s an excuse for Sandler to have a goofy voice, make fart jokes, and reference his old movies. He has layers.

About those callbacks: Hubie Halloween begins with an obvious Happy Gilmore homage, with Ben Stiller reprising his role as retirement community-turned-psychiatric hospital employee Hal in the golf comedy. Hubie also brings back the O’Doyle family (“O’DOYLE RULES”) from Billy Madison and the pee-stained sheet from The Waterboy.

If recognizing Sandler references is cool, consider these people Miles Davis.

Also, Steve Buscemi plays a werewolf, making it part of the Hotel Transylvania Cinematic Universe. You should watch Hubie Halloween.