Critic Reviews

There’s something brain-tickling and even a bit unsettling (in a good way) about this consistently funny but sometimes melancholy work. Sandler reteams with “Uncut Gems” co-director Josh Safdie for a special that exists in the real world, with the real Adam Sandler putting on a brilliant show, yet also veers into a kind of surreal, alternate-universe setting.

A deliberately imperfect special, one which overall stands out as much more sincere and heartfelt than it might seem on the surface.

In this tight, still-fresh, 70-minute special, Sandler takes on a reflective mode, not merely musing on his own aging as a performer and person, but, by the special’s end, his place in—and appreciation for—the history of comedy. It is, truly, among Sandler’s finest, most moving works to date.

With "Love You," Sandler again proves that he can continue to be one of those people that brings joy to audiences through silly songs and nonsensical riffs about the most ridiculous things.

This special is a grungier, less ingratiating affair than the previous one. Not everything hits hard, in part because this is a quirkier effort that will delight the hard-core Sandler fans, those who stuck with him before the critics came around. Safdie strips down the production of his arena shows — the video use is sparing but effective — and leans into the weird, indulgent Sandler.

At every moment, the whole thing feels like it could come apart, and the combination of stress, sincerity, and inanity is what makes Love You so delightful. It’s like a train full of clowns and fake plastic poop, perpetually flirting with derailment, that ultimately pulls into a destination of love and sentimentality.

This is a fun show to watch, and all of the roughness Safdie throws at Sandler only just helps to show that what makes a comedy special special isn’t the big stage or production value, but the intimacy between the performer and their audience. And Sandler has that in spades.

Unconcerned with outrage, Love You is precisely the sort of comedy 2024 could do with more of.

It mixes more odd penis and sex jokes than you would expect with a bit of melancholy and softness, plus some unreality pretending to be real. Altogether, it's a little jarring, sometimes off-putting but also kind of sweet. It's complicated and contradictory, much like Sandler himself.