[REVIEW] Hubie Halloween (2020) Beneath The Surface Lies An Encouraging Message On Kindness!

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“If I don’t get it, I’m going to come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That’s how I get them,” - Adam Sandler 

Before Adam Sandler's Oscar snub for his performance as the jeweler with a gambling problem Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems, the actor and comedian promised that he would provide us with an intentionally bad movie should he not get his desired win. Fast forward to the present day, was Sandler able to deliver with his latest Netflix original, Hubie Halloween? Well, I suppose that it all depends on how you choose to look at it.

On the surface, Hubie Halloween may seem as if it's nothing more than a rather childish attempt at getting a few cheap laughs while adding in a spooky, supernatural twist for the fall season but hidden beneath all of that lies a surprisingly solid and encouraging message on the importance of kindness.

The Positive

It's October 31st in Salem, Massachusetts, and Hubie Dubois, the town's devoted community volunteer is preparing to do what he does every year, ensure that everyone has a very happy but also safe, Halloween. But when Hubie notices some rather strange, and potentially supernatural occurrences throughout the area, he's forced to step up to the plate and become the town hero that he was destined to be.

With Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler returns to Netflix with his faithful comedy crew consisting of Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Robert Schneider, and a cameo from Ben Stiller, briefly reprising his role from the 1996 Sandler movie, Happy Gilmore.

In addition, this film is overflowing with Disney Channel alumni such as Bradley Steven Perry (Good Luck Charlie), Peyton List and Karan Brar (Jessie, Bunked), and China Anne McClain (Ant Farm and Descendents 2&3) and that's just to name a few.

Written by the iconic duo of Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, Hubie Halloween is a movie that I can't seem to describe as anything other than "ridiculously stupid" but that doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't enjoy it. This film is self-aware and thrives on its own stupidity in a cringe-worthy, yet humorous way and doesn't try to be something that it's not.

“You see Hubie, true bravery is being kind. Even to those who are being cruel to you." - Mrs. Dubois 

As someone who loves a good laugh, there were plenty of moments within this movie that I enjoyed and found to be quite humorous, even if I am a little embarrassed to admit it because most of them were rather dumb and immature. In fact, Hubie Halloween is completely immature from the very moment it begins but for the most part, it worked.

This movie features the kind of humor that is entertaining when you just need to turn your brain off for a little while and have a laugh, in that case, it should provide you with that certain amount of mindless fun, at least, that's what it did for me!

But there is an encouraging message hidden within all of the aforementioned mindless, immature humor, centered around the idea of kindness; Hubie Dubois is continuously mocked by those around him because of his unusual behavior and it's because of their cruelty and judgment toward him that they neglect to see what an incredibly selfless person he really is, who truly has everyone's best interest at heart.

Throughout the entire film, we're shown that Hubie's main goal is to make Halloween safe for his fellow citizens in Salem. He may come off as paranoid at times but ultimately his peculiar actions come from a place of concern for others despite the mistreatment that he receives from them; Hubie Halloween provides us with the reminder that choosing to spread kindness regardless of how people may or may not treat us can be the ultimate act of bravery.

The Negative

It's a bit tricky to address my complaints about this movie because when it comes down to it, the lines between what I liked and disliked are actually quite blurred. I did enjoy the goofy, immature humor that was used throughout, however, several times that did transition over into more crude humor which I didn't enjoy nearly as much; some moments were funny but for the most part, the others were cringe-worthy and just plain awkward to watch.

I thought the use of language, mild adult themes, and crude humor wasn't really necessary or even humorous enough to justify being in this movie. I personally think that Hubie Halloween could have benefited from lowering its rating and being marketed as a more family-friendly film since the whole thing had a certain amount of innocence to it, and let's not forget about that surprisingly good message. This movie was right on the cusp of appealing to a larger audience the entire time so I felt that seemed like quite the missed opportunity.

Conclusion

Hubie Halloween certainly isn't what I would call a good movie by any means but that being said, not every movie has to be good in order to be enjoyable and serve a purpose. I enjoyed it for what it was despite being filled with some rather cringe-worthy moments because for the most part, it made me laugh and that's all I could really ask of it!

I'll be giving this film a rating of three out of five stars. It's very weird, pretty crude, and most definitely juvenile but overall should provide you with a laugh or two as long as you don't take it very seriously, not even the movie does, so neither should we!

So, what did you think of Hubie Halloween? Were you entertained? Or, did you think it was just plain stupid? There's really no wrong answer here, so be sure to let me know by tweeting me over on Twitter @RR_Everything! There I talk about all sorts of shows and movies and give updates on future reviews and projects. Hope to speak to you soon!