10 Worst Adam Sandler Movies Ever

The worst of the worst.

By Mike Pedley /

Everyone has an opinion on Adam Sandler. On the one hand, you have the people who genuinely enjoy his particular brand of comedy and flock to every new flick, eager to forget about the stresses of their lives, turn off their brains, and enjoy 90 minutes of senseless laughter. On the other hand, there are the people who despise the man and all he stands for.

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The numbers don't lie: Sandler's films have consistently made huge money at the box office, helping the Big Daddy star become one of the most recognisable actors in the world. With over $2 billion in box office earnings, Sandler is a bankable actor, but the actual quality of his films has been called into question time and time again.

The 51-year-old has received no less than eleven 'Worst Actor' nominations from the Razzies, but has also demonstrated genuine acting talent in more dramatic roles like Funny People and The Meyerowitz Stories.

Perhaps that's what makes him such a frustrating figure. It's clear that Sandler does have talent. He wouldn't be where he was without it, but in so many cases, it seems like he chooses the easier, lazier option, resulting in an unparalleled library of awful films.

10. Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

Even in animated form, Sandler infuriated casual viewers and critics alike with this mean-spirited Hanukkah-based holiday movie. The movie casts Sandler in the skin of alcoholic troublemaker Davey, who is handed a 'get out of jail free' card by a kindly old man named Whitey. If Davey can stay on the straight and narrow for a while learning to become a basketball referee, his 10-year prison sentence will be wiped away.

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Holiday films can often be accused of being cheesy, predictable, and formulaic, and Eight Crazy Nights is guilty of all three, but these kinds of movies also tend to be heartwarming and inspiring, two traits that Sandler's flick is sorely lacking. There's no real meaning to the movie, the songs are mostly awful, and the jokes fall exclusively between offensively bad and just plain offensive.

Like with many of Sandler's flicks, there was potential here. The premise paves way for a 'Christmas Carol' style story of redemption, but several plotlines are left unexplored and the ending is thoroughly unfulfilling. Critics lambasted Eight Crazy Nights for its toilet humour and lack of laughs, and the film signalled Sandler's last foray into animated works until Hotel Transylvania some ten years later.

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