10 Times Adam Sandler Proved He Can Act

James L Brooks’ 2004 rom-com is not one of his better efforts, heavy on the sap and far too long, but it’s full of great performances, most particularly Sandler’s. As John, a laid back chef with family troubles, he’s within his comfort zone, but he approaches the role with unusual restraint, and adds a lot to a messy ensemble piece.

Sandler plays a man in a trying relationship, with a domineering wife and difficult children. If that sounds like one of the most common and insidious comedy tropes, it very much is, and Brooks does nothing to subvert the norms, but that’s not Sandler’s fault. He’s as warm as he’s ever been here - you can imagine that this is something close to the real Sandler, who seems very much like the easygoing, untroubled sort that you’d genuinely enjoy hanging out with. He’s not afforded a whole lot of development (he runs through various shades of put-upon), but Spanglish isn’t really John’s story.

The film bombed pretty badly, and Sandler returned to his usual fare for the next couple of years, but it would be great to see him take on another low key role like this, ideally in a better film.