One of his best.

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2008)

Adam Sandler is rapidly becoming my favourite on-screen comedian. He has this knack of doing incredibly stupid films that nevertheless manage to put a big stupid grin on my face for the whole show. This one has all the Sandler trademarks: a daft plot, a pervading sense of (mostly) innocent fun, incredibly funny supporting cast, plenty of cameos, cartoon-like laws of physics, references to his other films (or is that vice-versa in this case?). His characters tend to start out unlikeable (such as Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison), but the viewer ends up rooting for them anyway as the film progresses and the character's good side is revealed. There is usually a positive, inclusive feeling to the comedy style: just about all the characters in the film (even the sleaze-bags) are treated well by Sandler's character (once he gets over his temper tantrums in this case), which puts these films head and shoulders above the derisive, divisive style of humour that seems so common elsewhere these days. Sandler's characters tend to only make headway when they are being good, which isn't a bad message for the kids in the audience. Yet there's nothing saccharine or Disney-esquire here. While some gags are a bit predictable, there are still plenty of surprises and some outright lunacy that keep it fresh. Even once you suds out what the Sandler formula is, the films are still enjoyable to watch. Sheer fun!