Movie review: Hubie Halloween

 Lifelong Salem resident Hubie Dubois is a huge fan of Halloween and Salem, devoting much of his time to the protection and enjoyment of both despite being a focus of mockery by townsfolk. But this year things are getting weird and it may be up to Hubie to save both.

Adam Sandler (Hubie), Kevin James (Sgt. Downey), Julie Bowen (Violet), Ray Liotta (Mr. Landolfa), Steve Buscemi (Lambert), Rob Schneider (Richie), Maya Rudolph (Mrs. Hennessey), Tim Meadows (Lester).

Hubie Halloween launches as we follow Hubie through a normal day and realize, Hubie's not quite normal himself. From there the thin plot revolving around an escaped mental patient, with a side of romance, shows up and things get slightly more interesting. From there the rest of the film is the usual late night humor and slapstick comedy.

Acting from this well known cast was good. Sandler delivered his usual with an added accent that was almost understandable. James was solid and fun as always. Buscemi and Schneider were fun as usual. Bowen added nicely, as did Liotta who was a lot of laughs. Acting from the remainder of the star-studded cast did nicely and brought some good chuckles.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds appear natural and are fairly mild. Physical effects were fun, as they usually are in Sandler flicks. Dialogue was okay but just didn't bring the laughs we expected. Sound and soundtrack are well done.

Overall, this is a typical Sandler teen flick. Thin plot with a dose of humor and physical comedy. With a bit less late night comedy than we usually see in Sandler films, this one seems aimed at a younger audience which might be why the energy and comedy felt light.

With some mild sexuality and adult humor, a bit of comedy violence, and foul language, this should be fine for preens and above.

Released: 2020
Reviewed: 10.26.20
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Mystery, Slapstick

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel