by Tori Thoele
When most people think of classic Halloween movies they either think cute and fun or a slasher movie to put them in the festive mood. Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Shining and Beetlejuice are just a few that come to mind.This Halloween, a new movie called Hubie Halloween, directed and starred in by Adam Sandler, has hit Netflix this past October. With it’s star studded cast and ridiculous plotline, this is one you might want to skip.
Hubie Halloween is set in Salem, Massachusetts, and follows the nerdy and awkward Adam Sandler as he plays the main character in the movie, Hubie Dubois. Hubie Dubois, a middle aged man who is still living in his mother's basement, is a patroller of sorts. He’s like the neighborhood watch for the whole community. For someone who’s never left Salem, and is from one of the original founding families, Hubie is not well liked. Hubie is the town’s joke, and is continually being laughed at or has things thrown at him. The only one in town who actually seems to like and respect Hubie is Violet, a potential love interest for Hubie.
As Halloween nears, Hubie is awarded the job of Halloween Helper by the town sheriff, when actually the Sheriff thinks this will keep Hubie busy and will keep him out of his way, since a real killer is on the loose. The night before Halloween a patient from a mental hospital escapes and puts the town on high alert. The rest of the movie is Hubie putting his nose where it doesn’t belong and actually makes things worse because he’s so clueless. The only thing that saves him is his thermos, which not only holds warm liquids and soups, but many useful tools such as an umbrella, and a crowbar that saves him from a harmful situation at the drive-in. This thermos has spawned many memes, such as one that circulated on Facebook saying it would want Hubie’s thermos as their weapon of choice if there was an apocalypse.
This film would be a total bust if it didn’t have two things, one of which is the star studded cast. Julie Bowen, who plays Claire Dunphy on Modern Family, brings refreshment when the jokes have run a little dry. Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things, also brings back the audience's memory of their first teenage crush and the butterflies that come with it. Kevin James also appears as the town's sheriff, bringing back nostalgic Mall Cop vibes.
The second thing that saves the movie, and is in my opinion the only comic relief we see throughout, is Hubie’s mother, Mrs. Dubois. A kind, old grandmotherly type is what you first assume her to be since she’s allowed Hubie to live in her house for over forty years, but you soon learn she has the type of humor that everyone can get behind. She’s most known for the crude, and often hilarious t-shirts she wears, even when she still doesn’t quite understand what they mean. The slogans on her t-shirts include, but are not limited to: “Boner Donor”, “If you can read this you're within fart range”, “Kayaking Gets me Wet”, and my most favorite, “I Shaved My Balls for This?”.
If you want a light hearted movie to not laugh at, Hubie Halloween is your pick. If you also want to stop halfway through the movie and turn something else on, this is also the movie for you. Adam Sandler put together a star studded cast, and even had the hilarious Mrs. Dubois, but Hubie Halloween falls short on the laughs and the plot, which is what makes classic Halloween movies so great.