Only avoiding Sandler's Netflix deal for so long

I didn't see The Ridiculous Six.

I didn't see The Do Over.

I didn't see Sandy Wexler.

I didn't see The Week Of.

I didn't see Father of the Year.

I did see Murder Mystery, but since Jennifer Aniston was there classing up the joint, I didn't think of it as finally seeing my first movie produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions under its many-film deal with Netflix.

That finally happened, undoubtedly and indubitably, when I pulled up on Wednesday night -- on "opening night," at that -- for The Wrong Missy.

Sandler's face does not appear in this movie, though the faces of all his cronies, as I wrote in my review, do. You've got your David Spade, you've got your Rob Schneider, you've got your Jonathan Loughran. (Look him up. You'll recognize him.) And of course then you've got Sandler's wife, Jackie, who has appeared in just about every single Happy Madison production ... and nothing else.

I could have kept the streak going, and in fact would have under normal times. But these are not normal times. I'm reviewing two out of every three new movies released to Netflix while there are no alternatives being released to movie theaters. In fact, the only reason I'm not reviewing all of them is if they get bunched up in a particular week and I just don't have time. I mean, I have to watch things other than just new Netflix movies, you know.

In a way, it has represented a kind of oversight, that I've been avoiding these Sandler movies. I make it sort of a mission as a film critic to sample and review a little bit of everything from every possible genre, subgenre, studio, budget level, or pocket of cinema, however you want to define that. Sandler's Happy Madison movies have certainly become a pocket of cinema unto themselves -- a largely disappointing pocket, but not exclusively disappointing, even recently. (In fact, I had a limited fondness for Murder Mystery.)

But I'll exchange my usual completist tendencies for having missed some of the most godawful filmmaking of the last five years. I assume, anyway.

The Wrong Missy reminded me what I've been, er, missying. I tried to give it the same benefit of the doubt any critic should, I really did. I thought, "I've enjoyed David Spade in things before" and I thought, "Lauren Lapkus can be a funny performer."

But no, this movie is just bad. It is kind of a poster child for what Happy Madison is: lazy, easy comedy meant to be filmed quickly in order to pocket the profits quickly. And since Sandler had already pocketed the profits, the quicker it could be filmed, the better. (I invite you to follow the above link to my review if you want a more detailed takedown.)

There are actually some films Sandler has made over the years that I've really liked, and not just the ones everybody else likes (Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems). I have a fondness for Click, for example. I'll also go to bat for the Hotel Transylvania movies.

But it seems like Sandler has been content for a long time to do the least possible, at the expense of his good name, or a name that used to be at least somewhat closer to good. He may be having a laugh at Netflix's expense, taking the money and running as an attempt to play the corporate giant for a fool. But he can't do so without it tarnishing whatever reputation he once had.

Well, there's always Hubie Halloween this autumn.

I probably won't see it.

But then again, if the theaters aren't open yet, maybe I'll be there on opening night.