Five minutes and at least one possible punchline into a freewheeling fantasy about meeting a genie outside an airport restroom, it’s still impossible to see where Adam Sandler is taking his audience with this one. It’s the beauty of every finely honed bit in Sandler’s latest Netflix special, Love You: There’s no telling what’s going to happen when he rips up the handbrake and drifts down a side road. Dirty but never mean-spirited – and consistently silly yet overtly sentimental – Love You is yet another slam dunk in Sandler’s third-quarter career comeback.
Directed by Josh Safdie (who, alongside his brother Benny, previously directed Sandler in Uncut Gems ), Love You begins with a deliberately chaotic sequence that tracks Sandler’s arrival at the venue, up until his emergence on stage. The introduction is reminiscent of the captivating chaos of the Safdies’ 2019 diamond-district drama, albeit without the crippling anxiety. In contrast, Sandler’s on-stage performance itself is relaxed and intimate, and he’s unrushed as he eases through a series of unconnected jokes, one-man sketches, and hilarious songs.
The venue itself – dressed like a dank, aging theatre still relying on Windows 95 – seems cozy and nostalgic. The set is occasionally stalled by engineered interruptions – like an equipment failure or the sudden arrival of a dog from backstage – but rather than being distractions, they serve to help Love You feel live and immediate. You really d.