Review of The Week Of (2018) by Thequietgamer — 28 Apr 2018

Adam Sandler's latest Netflix movie is a Father of the Bride style wedding flick that takes Happy Madison to some surprisingly more grounded territory. It's easily the best of his Netflix collaborations thus far and it's nice to see him trying something new without stepping away from his usual cohorts. Sandler plays a well-meaning father who just wants to do one last thing for his daughter by giving her the perfect wedding without any (desperately needed) outside help. The comedy stems from watching everything blow up in his face.

It's pretty slow-paced. There are plenty of smaller moments dedicated to just watching the bride-to-be's Jewish family yell at each other. It kind of gives the movie an indie-comedy vibe not unlike that of the recent and critically acclaimed film The Meyerowitz Stories which Sandler also had a starring role in. The Week Of feels much lazier though and is quite frankly overly long. Chris Rock's character also doesn't have much to do outside of rolling his eyes at all of the chaos when his requests to help pay for things are repeatedly rejected. Those hoping for a duo comedy are going to be left wanting. This is a Sandler vehicle all the way through.

While there are stretches where the laughs are too few, I still found myself regularly amused. It's a pretty good concept comedy with plenty of funny moments. It's the sweetness that ultimately won me over though. It carries none of the mean-spiritedness so many often associate with Sandler/Happy Madison films. Things end on a very touching note with some genuine emotion stemming from the bond between a father and daughter, showing just how hard it can be to let your kids go. The Week Of is a bit refreshing in that it shows the actor's willingness to try something different, although it doesn't stand out as one of his best movies. It is however one of his warmest. Vibes of family and love run throughout, and everyone gets a happy ending.

7.