Sandy Wexler movie review & film summary (2017)
It took until this movie for me to realize that Netflix should be pissed. What I’ve come to notice as the critic of all of the Happy Madison Netflix films is that the creators of these movies, Sandler in particular, saw Netflix as a place to lower their efforts. And those efforts weren’t too high when these films were going theatrical. Everything has felt like a first draft. Every scene goes on longer than it needs to as if no one ever considered the timing of the final product because, well, it’s just Netflix. Running times over two hours; jokes that seem like they’re never going to end; supporting roles filled by buddies who often look like they’re just there for the catering—well, it’s just Netflix.
Sandler plays the title character, a low-level talent manager in the ‘90s—one of his major clients is “the guy who got his heart ripped out of his chest in 'Temple of Doom'”—who is being remembered by friends and colleagues at some sort of modern day gathering that’s unclear. And so the film cuts back and forth between Sandy’s story and celebrities “remembering Sandy,” including Jewel, Vanilla Ice, Pauly Shore, Baba Booey, Henry Winkler, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, and Salt N Pepa. Yes, it’s the weirdest collection of people at a party in Hollywood history. And it’s an even stranger structure in that the writers often give this crew the same thing to say over and over again. Sandy ate like a slob and laughed awkwardly, but he cared greatly about the people he managed, a ragtag crew of entertainers on the edge of the business.
Sandy’s clients include a ventriloquist who is always with his dummies (Kevin James), a daredevil who sucks at his job (Nick Swardson), and a mediocre stand-up comedian (Colin Quinn). None of them are particularly talented, but Wexler never tells them that, and there’s an interesting story that develops in the film about the tragedy of living life as a yes-man. At a certain point, you have to say no and you have to help people face the reality of a fame-less life. That story is a subplot to the much greater arc of Courtney (Jennifer Hudson), an R&B singer who Sandy discovers at a theme park and turns into a massive star. Of course, Courtney becomes too big for Sandy. Of course, Sandy secretly loves Courtney. Of course, all of this is connected by wacky interludes meant to be funny, but you will very rarely laugh.
