Adam Sandler: Love You

In this tight, still-fresh, 70-minute special, Sandler takes on a reflective mode, not merely musing on his own aging as a performer and person, but, by the special’s end, his place in—and appreciation for—the history of comedy. It is, truly, among Sandler’s finest, most moving works to date.

A deliberately imperfect special, one which overall stands out as much more sincere and heartfelt than it might seem on the surface.

Unconcerned with outrage, Love You is precisely the sort of comedy 2024 could do with more of.

This is a fun show to watch, and all of the roughness Safdie throws at Sandler only just helps to show that what makes a comedy special special isn’t the big stage or production value, but the intimacy between the performer and their audience. And Sandler has that in spades.

At every moment, the whole thing feels like it could come apart, and the combination of stress, sincerity, and inanity is what makes Love You so delightful. It’s like a train full of clowns and fake plastic poop, perpetually flirting with derailment, that ultimately pulls into a destination of love and sentimentality.

This special is a grungier, less ingratiating affair than the previous one. Not everything hits hard, in part because this is a quirkier effort that will delight the hard-core Sandler fans, those who stuck with him before the critics came around. Safdie strips down the production of his arena shows — the video use is sparing but effective — and leans into the weird, indulgent Sandler.

With "Love You," Sandler again proves that he can continue to be one of those people that brings joy to audiences through silly songs and nonsensical riffs about the most ridiculous things.