Summary
The Do-Over is an action-comedy film from 2016 that Sandler produced under his Happy Madison Productions brand, and which Netflix commissioned. This time Netflix features Adam Sandler and David Spade in a buddy comedy film that juxtaposes absurd humor with unexpected emotional undercurrents and an element of mystery.
The film revolves around two middle-aged men and their crippling existential crises. Charlie McMillan (portrayed by David Spade) is a soft-spoken bank manager who sedentarily lives in a small town. He suffers from “the great American disease” characterized by a passively uncooperative and uncaring wife and subservient undemanding work life that leaves him disrespected at both home and work. His never-ending monotonous life takes an unexpected turn during his high school reunion where he meets Max Kessler (portrayed by Adam Sandler), his charming and enigmatic college mate who seems to embody everything Charlie lacks-confidence, adventure, and the ability to do as he pleases.
Sensing the urgency in Charlie’s situation, Max suggests a new and outlandish plan: they should fake death and start life anew. Charlie reluctantly goes along with it, and Max executes a complex plan with a fake explosion on a boat. The two then take up the identities of two deceased men they were sure were obscure enough for anonymity. However, they slowly deviate from the originally intended plan when they realize the new identities they have taken come with their own dangerous complications.
It turns out the men were impersonating were part of an even larger pharmaceutical coverup involving an advanced cancer cure, and a multi-billion-dollar operation involving a web of criminals, assassins, and corrupt businessmen. While Charlie and Max try to evade gunmen and uncover the secrets of the coverup, they also come face to face with their unachievable hopes, boundless nightmare, and shattered friendships.
The film’s narrative is interjected with crude slapstick humor, but its introspective moments steer it into different territory altogether. For instance, we see Max is motivated by a more troubling reason, too: unresolved loss and an overwhelming sense of responsibility to act. Meanwhile, Charlie begins the process of reconciling with his former self and rediscovering the self-respect he lost in the past.
The climax features a confrontation with the true antagonists of the pharmaceutical conspiracy. Alongside the many betrayals and absurd turns the narrative takes, it propounds—however incoherently—a lesson on taking second chances and self-reflection.
Cast & Crew
Main Cast:
The King of Comedy’s Adam Sandler: Max Kessler
Sandler’s trademark lowbrow humor comes through when he takes on the role of the irrationally energetic Max, whose latent intentions largely shapes the fracture of the narrative. As with many Jared films, Sandler manages to inject juvenile humor while still capturing emotional complexity, especially towards the second half of the film.
David Spade as Charlie McMillan / Butch Ryder
Portraying a man beaten down by life, David Spade offers a more toned down performance… Butch Ryder is later revealed to be a man who learns how to stand up for himself. Sandler’s and Spade’s chemistry is crucial to the film’s dynamic and serves most of the charm.
Paula Patton as Heather
Heather fills the position of the movie’s love interest and later becomes a pivotal part of the developing plot. She accompanies alongside the character of Max, and later Charlie, which adds an emotional depth to this otherwise-hectic tale.
Kathryn Hahn as Becca
Hahn portrays Charlie’s deceitful ex-wife and in turn, add in some extra dose of chaotic humor. Although her parts are brief, the sharpness of her wit leaves a mark.
Luis Guzmán as Jorge the Hitman
Guzmán weaves more character into an antagonist rounded out by menace and great humor as one of the numerous characters hunting down the protagonists.
Sean Astin as Ted-O
Astin performs the role of Becca’s new husband and further intertwines into the movie’s embarrassing conflict and side story.
Crew:
Director: Steven Brill
Brill is known from directing comedies such as Little Nicky and Without a Paddle. He, once again, applies his trademark excessive comedic approach for The Do-Over and sticks to his big and clumsy gags instead of subtlety.
Screenwriter: Kevin Barnett and Chris Pappas
While, at first glance, it appears that the script mixes absurd comedy with thriller elements – at places, it’s not done so seamlessly. The script has its moments of intelligence, but the overall tone is very uneven.
Producer: Adam Sandler
The face behind Happy Madison Productions, Sandler is known to produce yet another buddy comedy and continues the line of Netflix exclusives he has been releasing over the past few years.
Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams
It’s the soundtrack of the film that keeps up with its pace, which is often of action and comedy and contains some energetic highlights and soft emotional undertones.
IMDb Ratings
The reception from critics and audiences was somewhat mixed as the film is rated at a relatively low score of 5.7/10 on IMDb.
As for the missing pieces, critic reviews have panned the movie for unordinate humor, uneven tone, and a rather simple storyline. The prevailing view was that the film indulged in juvenile humor and did not break away from the Sandler-Spade buddy-cop template. It has often overly heavy, sophomoric, slapstick style of humor which turns off viewers expecting fresh and new sophisticated comedy.
That said, there were some diehard Sandler fans who celebrated the movie for its entirely unnuanced narrative style. They found the film entertaining in the same way he found other happy Madison films, even if the enjoyment value attached to the do-over is forgettable. Sandler fans did cling to the movie’s halfhearted attempts at portraying the concepts of self reinvention, mortality, and friendship, though these were shoehorned into an absurdistic storyline.
Moreover, the film was infused with action oriented components and an underlying drug company conspiracy which is indeed somewhat outside the box for Sandler. It’s pretty clear that the film doesn’t change the game or receive any adoration… but these factors put the film in a position where it can be considered at least The Do-Over more of a Netflix-Sandler crossover.
Concluding Remarks
The Do-Over is an attempt at merging action with mystery and comedy. It most often fails is because of the burden placed on it. The movie features likable characters and fights and some laughs, but what is sorely missing is the polish and structural finesse of great American buddy comedies or action movies.
For fans of Sandler and David Spade, The Do-Over is light-hearted and has the elements of and familiarity required for Sandler’s fans. While for other audiences, the movie is an underwhelming part of Sandler’s Netflix contract—humorless yet entertaining at random points.
Though The Do-Over is filled with problems, it highlights the human suffering and desire for a second chance. Second chances to escape the monotony of daily life, achieve lost aspirations, and find meaning in life. The Do-Over might not be the most spectacular movie ever created, but it does beg the viewer to remember that reinvention is always possible, even if that means pretending to die and battling drug godfathers while doing so.
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