Netflix
Adam Sandler is back with a new comedy special on Netflix, titled “Love You.” This comes six years after his triumphant return to the comedy special scene with the highly acclaimed “100% Fresh,” which showcased fresh stand-up routines, humorous songs, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Chris Farley. Is Sandler still at the top of his game? The answer is a resounding yes, despite the special being momentarily disrupted by a friend of his (more details in my full review).
The director of “Love You” is Josh Safdie, one half of the Safdie brothers filmmaking duo. The other half is Benny Safdie, co-star of “Oppenheimer.” They are the minds behind the intense and nerve-wracking drama “Uncut Gems,” which featured an outstanding performance from Sandler himself. The special incorporates some of that signature Safdie chaos right from the opening sequence. Moreover, the venue of the show was deliberately designed by Safdie and Sandler to not only look like a dubious place for a comedy show but also to allow for several planned mishaps to occur, adding a touch of strangeness for the audience.
As confirmed by Vulture, Safdie and producer Ronald Bronstein transformed the Nocturne Theatre in Glendale, California into a venue where they “basically trashed the place” by adding carpeting and spilling a two-liter bottle of Coke to give the place a somewhat off-putting smell and presumably sticky floors. Safdie explained that they wanted to create an atmosphere as if the place had been there for 60 years. It had a unique vibe, with John Turturro likening it to hanging out in his friend’s basement and laughing at his funniest friend.
This vibe also included several planned mishaps that both Sandler and the audience had to navigate on the spot. Sandler was aware that strange things were going to happen, but he wasn’t sure what exactly those things were. Interestingly, there was one altercation about 10 minutes into the special that wasn’t part of Safdie’s plan.
Manufactured chaos during Adam Sandler’s Love You special
Netflix
The main issue that arises as soon as the show starts on stage is that the trio of monitors located above Sandler’s head at the venue aren’t functioning properly. The audience sees the blue sky and rolling green hills of a Windows computer background, and then the computer crashes, rendering the monitors useless for most of the show. Sandler comments that the audience would have seen an image of the Sunmaid Raisins woman for one of his stage bits, but unfortunately, the monitors “weren’t working.”
Soon after, before a musical bit begins, Dan Bulla, a “Saturday Night Live” writer who has worked with Sandler on various movies and “100% Fresh,” finds his keyboard stand sinking into a gap on the stage, causing a minor delay for the show. Much later in the show, a dog walks onto the stage and into the audience, where some people welcome it.
What’s interesting is that for the audience at the show and for anyone watching at home unaware, all of this makes the show feel more authentic and unpredictable. Safdie succeeded in making the venue feel slightly off-balance. However, there was one moment that he didn’t orchestrate.
About 10 minutes into the special, some arguing can be heard in the audience, and Sandler directly addresses it to find out what’s happening and defuse the situation before it escalates. Safdie said at the premiere, “[Sandler] didn’t know these things were coming, but when the fight happened, part of him was probably thinking, ‘Was Josh behind this?'” But Sandler could tell this wasn’t staged. He explained, “No, it felt like real energy. I was f**king scared for everyone.”
We’re pleased that the staged mishaps (and the real one) didn’t detract from Sandler’s latest comedy special. It would have been disappointing if they were too distracting for the special to gain any momentum, but it was just enough to make things interesting. And for what it’s worth, the monitors eventually start working just in time for Sandler’s wonderful tribute to the art of comedy.
“Adam Sandler: Love You” is now streaming on Netflix.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
