Hubie Halloween

HUBIE HALLOWEEN

Director : Steven Brill

Year : 2020

Genre : Comedy?

Rating : *1/2

Having spent the last two decades making some of the worst comedies in recent movie history, I had given up completely on the inexplicably popular Adam Sandler. That was until this year and the release of the Safdie Brothers' astonishing 'Uncut Gems', a terrifically tense film which proved that given the right material, Sandler can be a damn good actor. Earning numerous accolades and even generating a great deal of Oscar buzz, 'Uncut Gems' seemed to hint at a new side to this usually one note comedian and I had high hopes for the future. So, it is a sad but utterly predictable fact that his newest movie 'Hubie Halloween' is as pleasant as a rotting pumpkin. Devoid of laughs, filled with unlikable and annoying characters and ending with the same sentimenal tripe that is now standard for a Happy Madison production, 'Hubie Halloween', directed by the ironically named Steven Brill, is one of the most terrifyingly insufferable movies of recent years. 

Adopting his worst voice acting since 'Jack and Jill', Sandler stars as the titular Hubie, the self-appointed Halloween-monitor of Salem, Massachussets who, armed with his trusty and surprisingly adaptable thermos, spends his October 31sts patrolling the decoration-laden streets in an attempt to keep people safe. However, despite his good intentions, he is the object of ridicule from everyone in the town including the police, the mayor and even the kids who see him (as indeed do we) as an annoying, prying creep whose irritating prescence and overly cowardly persona makes him an easy target. But when people start disappearing across Salem, it is up to Hubie and his thermos to solve the mystery and bring peace back to the town which hates him. 

As is to be expected, 'Hubie Halloween' is stuffed with the same infantile pee, poop and puke jokes that appear in every Happy Madison movie, with the first appearing less than one minute into the overlong running time. There is very little in the way of wit, satire or remotely clever writing in the script and instead, the majority of 'Hubie Halloween' is made up of bad puns, tired and wholly predictable slapstick and the aforementioned bodily function gags. It is especially sad when these ''jokes'' are delivered by such great comedic actors as Ray Liotta, Maya Rudolph and Academy Award nominee June Squibb who is particularly embarrassing here as Hubie's overprotective Mother whose main gags come courtesy of the numeerous bawdy and inappropriate T-shirts she innocently wears. 

There is no doubt that 'Hubie Halloween' is demonstrably awful but in all honesty, when compared to the very worst Adam Sandler comedies, it doesn't even come close to taking the faeces-crusted crown. In fact, despite it's almost complete lack of laughs - I must admit to chuckling at a very silly sight gag involving a shocked cat - on a purely technical and artistic bent, 'Hubie Halloween' is a very nice film to watch and it actually feels like a genuine motion picture rather than many of his previous films which have felt little more than vacation videos made with his friends. The beautiful sets, the warm colours and the abundance of seasonal decorations and costumes lend the movie a delightful Halloween-y glow and it certainly sets the mood for what is in my opinion, the very best time of the year. It is just a shame that the amazing production design and lovely cinematography are coupled with these characters, these jokes and the overwhelming absence of any entertainment value whatsoever. My advice - for full enjoyment, watch 'Hubie Halloween' on mute.