Critics Slate Adam Sandler's New Movie The Do-Over

Watching Adam Sandler’s movies getting slated has become something of a spectator sport, with critics gleefully laying into his latest effort.

‘The Do-Over’, the second in a series of four planned movies for Netflix (following the despised 'The Ridiculous 6’), is currently being hammered by critics.

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Though many of the big names have yet to wade in, so far it’s only managed a single positive review, according to reviews aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

As such it holds lowly 9% 'fresh’ rating.

It stars Sandler as a Max Kessler, who, after meeting a hapless, sad sack of an old friend at a high school reunion – played by David Spade – resolves to fake their own deaths and re-write their disappointing lives.

David Ehrlich on IndieWire writes: “'The Do-Over’ is atrocious, but it’s atrocious in different ways than any of Adam Sandler’s previous comedies.

“Of course, it’s also atrocious in many of the same ways that Sandler’s comedies always have been, but you have to respect the fact that - more than two decades since 'Billy Madison’ minted Sandler as a leading man - this restless innovator is still finding new methods of making bad movies.

“For years, we’ve been asking Adam Sandler to try harder. We’ve been making a huge mistake.”

Brian Tallerico on RogerEbert.com adds that it’s 'a film that gets markedly dumber with every passing minute’.

“Once the actual story element of 'The Do-Over’ kicks in, the movie’s periodic lurches back to gross-out humour seem increasingly out of place,” says Jonathan Bernstein in the Daily Telegraph.

“And, as long-time Sandler observers are well aware, his competence at delivering an improvised comeback has tragically declined over the years.”

Paraphrasing Jon Lovitz’s acclaimed character in the cartoon series 'The Critic’, Keith Ulrich in The Hollywood Reporter says: “Jay Sherman said it best: It stinks.”

Referring to what he had just watched, Michael Phillips in the Chicago-Tribune said: “There are comedies that make you double over in laughter, and there are comedies that are eerily unfunny to the point where you start thinking about a class-action suit.”

There is a veiled compliment from Entertainment Weekly, however, Christian Houlb calling it 'a fairly standard action comedy, but the extremely low standard of recent Sandler work (from 'Jack & Jill’ to 'The Cobbler’) makes that a relief’.

And at least this time, it didn’t manage to offend an entire race.

The Native American community slammed 'The Ridiculous 6’ for its stereotyped portrayal of its people, with some cast-members walking off the set in protest at some of the jokes.

Image credits: Netflix