FULL WATCHALONG ~ HUBIE HALLOWEEN

Hubie Halloween (2020) might just be the last truly good Adam Sandler comedy—the one that proves when he wants to, he can still blend dumb laughs with a weird kind of heart. It’s pure Happy Madison chaos, but this time with genuine Halloween spirit and a surprisingly cozy tone underneath all the slapstick.

Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, a well-meaning, socially awkward Halloween safety monitor in Salem who’s endlessly bullied by basically everyone in town. He’s got that signature Sandler baby voice dialed up to 11, which sounds like a dealbreaker until about 20 minutes in when you realize… it’s actually kind of perfect for this movie. Hubie’s a dork, but he’s the right kind of dork—a big-hearted goof trying to keep everyone safe while actual murders start happening around him.

The cast is stacked: Julie Bowen (back from Happy Gilmore) as the improbably nice love interest, Steve Buscemi as the maybe-werewolf next door, Ray Liotta as the town jerk, and Maya Rudolph, Tim Meadows, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Shaq, and even Ben Stiller all popping in to remind you this is a full Sandler Cinematic Universe event. It’s like a Halloween special featuring every actor who’s ever owed him a favor.

The movie looks great too—Sandler and director Steven Brill actually go all in on the Halloween aesthetic. Salem feels alive: pumpkins everywhere, orange lighting, trick-or-treat chaos, and that perfect “spooky but fun” energy that makes you want to drink cider and rewatch Hocus Pocus.

It’s ridiculous, full of toilet jokes and pratfalls, but it’s also shockingly sweet. Hubie’s a good guy, and for once, the movie doesn’t just mock him—it roots for him. By the end, it sneaks up with an actual message about kindness and how being decent in a cruel world might just make you the bravest person in town.

We loved it. It’s goofy, warm, and totally self-aware. It might be the last time Sandler tapped back into what made him great in the first place: a big dumb heart under all the dumb jokes. If this is his final great comedy hurrah, it’s a fitting one.