Adam Sandler Ranked

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Adam Sandler-whose latest movie "Hubie Halloween" is now streaming on Netflix.  

Adam Sandler's Filmography Ranked:

33.Jack and Jill (D-)

32.Zookeeper (D)

31.The Cobbler (D)

30.Coneheads (D)

29.Click (D+)

28.Grown Ups 2 (C)

27.Murder Mystery (C+)

26.Bulletproof (C+)

25.Grown Ups (C+)

24.You Don't Mess with the Zohan (C+)

23.Pixels (B-)

22.Hotel Transylvania 2 (B-)

21.Hotel Transylvania (B-)

20.Eight Crazy Nights (B-)

19.Blended (B-)

18.The Week Of (B-)

17.The Do-Over (B)

16.I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (B)

15.Just Go with It (B)

14.50 First Dates (B)

13.Funny People (B)

12.Anger Management (B)

11.Mr.Deeds (B)

10.Reign Over Me (B)

9.Little Nicky (B+)

8.That's My Boy (B+)

7.The Wedding Singer (B+)

6.The Longest Yard (B+)

5.Big Daddy (A-)

4.The Waterboy (A-)

3.Billy Madison (A)

2.Uncut Gems (A)

1.Happy Gilmore (A+)

Top Dog: Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore isn't just peak Sandler, it's one of the most impressive and timeless comedy movies ever made. Every character is played to perfection, its combination of highly quotable dialogue and absurdist/slapstick sight gags give it a very wide comedic attack and like all of Sandler's best work, there's a pure heart underneath all of the silliness. 

Lowlight: Jack and Jill (2011)

Jack & Jill is an all out assault on humor, good taste and the cinematic artform in general that should bring everyone involved with it eternal shame.   

Most Underrated: The Longest Yard (2005)

An unplanned basic cable rewatch on a random Sunday afternoon in August solidified this take for me. Anchored by an ensemble of funny, colorful characters (Sandler's Paul Crewe, Chris Rock's Caretaker, Bob Sapp's Switowski, Nicolas Turturro's Brucie, Terry Crews' Cheeseburger Eddy James Crowell's vicious Warden Hazen) and a compelling underdog vs. juggernaut sports story, The Longest Yard is the most consistently enjoyable comedy project Sandler has put out since his mid-to-late 90's glory days. 

Most Overrated: 50 First Dates (2003)

50 First Dates is a perfectly good movie. Sandler and Drew Barrymore have tremendous chemistry, the premise is pretty clever and it has no problem checking off the sweet/funny box that romantic comedies are supposed to. So how is it overrated? Well, it's arguably the most beloved of Sandler's post-90's projects and I just don't view it in that same degree of positive light.

Best Serious Effort: Uncut Gems (2019)

The Safdie Brothers proved the terrific Good Time was no fluke by following it up with the even better Uncut Gems. This story of a degenerate gambler's (Sandler in a career-best performance) long overdue downfall bristles with intensity, chaos and an unapologetic griminess that helps make it a singularly enthralling crime saga.     

Worst Serious Effort: The Cobbler (2015)

About seven months before his eventual Best Picture-winning docudrama Spotlight was released, writer/director Tom McCarthy put out this little seen fantasy dramedy about a cobbler (Sandler) who accidentally discovers a magical heirloom stitching machine in the basement of his family's shop that allows him to literally step into the lives of the owners of any shoe that enters it. Despite its sincere effort, The Cobbler ends up being an aggravating, tonally-confused mess that fails to properly utilize the potential of its ambitious premise.