[Review] Hubie Halloween(2020) {6/10}

Directed by Steven Brill from a screenplay by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, the film stars Adam Sandler (Hubie Dubois), Julie Bowen (Violet Valentine), June Squibb (Hubie's mother), Shaquille O'Neal (DJ Aurora) and Steve Buscemi (Walter Lambert).

The film follows Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) who considers himself responsible for monitoring activities every Halloween in his historic hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. Hubie still lives with his mom and carries a multipurpose Thermos with him everywhere, which combined with his implied mental disability makes him the target of constant teasing and bullying by town locals. The only people who see his kind heart are his mom (June Squibb) and his local crush, foster mom Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen). As Halloween hits this year, Hubie grapples with a new and suspicious neighbor Walter Lambert (Steve Buscemi), a local inmate on the run (Rob Schneider), and people disappearing in strange ways.

Hubert Shubert “Hubie” DuBois isn’t necessarily the most self-aware guy you’ll ever meet. He doesn’t quite understand that his regular safety-focused patrols of the neighborhood make him a subject of ridicule for kids and adults alike. Nobody plays a kindhearted but simpleminded character like Sandler, which this movie proves once again. Other than working hard at a local deli and taking care of his aging mom, his concern for other people’s safety has become his central purpose in life. His mother even points the truth of that out to others, saying, “He can weather all your insults and thrown objects and he responds with humor and kindness.” Along with promoting the value of foster care, the film also ends with a strong anti-bullying message. The closing moments point out that everyone has things they struggle with in life and that demeaning others is a foolish choice. And if you are bullied, the film notes, it’s important to respond well. “True bravery is being kind, even to those who are being cruel to you,” someone notes. Targeting the teen male audience, Hubie Halloween offers a mishmash of Halloween hijinks, potty talk, anatomical humor, and celebrity cameos. The onslaught of meanness is intended to make his largesse at the end of the movie that much more heroic, and the near absence of redeeming qualities in other characters is meant to make their ultimate confessions of insecurities more satisfying. But none of it is particularly funny or satisfying. It's mostly tiring at moments. It's nothing spectacular in terms of its story and execution, but it certainly provides some light humor against a nostalgic Halloween backdrop.

Hubie Halloween is now available on Netflix.