Adam Sandler has branched into some new areas in this stage of his career — his acceptance speech for the People’s Icon Award was a work of art all in itself — with Netflix being the benefactor of projects like Hustle, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and the unexpectedly brilliant Leo. The Sandman’s next offering will turn him into the Spaceman, as he portrays an astronaut who was sent to the edge of the solar system as his earthly life was falling apart. So what are critics saying about the upcoming Sandler flick?
Spaceman, which will hit theaters February 23 for a limited run before it’s available to stream with a Netflix subscription on March 1, sees Adam Sandler trying to maintain his sanity after months of isolation, befriending a giant space spider (voiced by Paul Dano) in the process. Leila Latif of GamesRadar rates the movie 4 stars out of 5, saying the comedian excels as the loneliest man in the universe. Latif writes:
It sounds like the premise for a broad comedy, and Spaceman does deliver the occasional laugh. But this is an impactful and at times profound film, with a hauntingly lovely turn from Sandler. As ridiculous as it sounds, watching the actor chat to a space arachnid conjures an emotional depth that evokes Tarkovsky.
Amon Warmann of Empire also gives it 4 stars out of 5, saying come for the alien spider wisdom, stay for a restrained and heartfelt performance from Adam Sandler, who hands over the comedic reins to his presumably eight-legged friend. Warmann writes:
Spaceman’s default setting is gloomy, but what little humour there is comes courtesy of the wise extra-terrestrial. His penchant for calling Jakub ‘skinny human’, along with his discovery of chocolate, are both chuckle-worthy, and Dano adds subtle vocal inflections to his calm, soothing demeanour when the moment suits. By the time the film concludes, you’ll wish he was your unofficial therapist, too.
Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com rates Spaceman 3 stars out of 4, though the critic acknowledges plenty of faults. Still, Daniels loves to see Adam Sandler in this kind of dramatic role, also noting that the spider helps the movie to maintain a silly tone in an otherwise dour project. From the review:
The overall tone might also be too sleepy, too introspective and despondent to some’s liking. But I just love Sandler in this register. It’s no longer a surprise when he pulls a well-defined and memorable dramatic performance. It’s become the norm. And in a ruminative film like Spaceman, which is about learning to move on, to care for another, and to redefine yourself before it’s too late, then it’s fitting that the idea of ‘the Sandman in space’ isn’t reduced to a cheap tagline, but actually means something real and genuine is about to occur.
The strange twist on the sci-fi drama doesn’t work for everyone though. Ryan Lattanzio of IndieWire grades the movie a C, saying Adam Sandler has never been more dour than in Spaceman, and with the lack of production design, Jakub may as well have just been sitting at home feeling sorry for himself, rather than isolated in space. Lattanzio continues:
Seeing Sandler whirl gravity-free throughout the space shuttle isn’t without its pleasures, as it’s certainly not something we’ve seen from the Uncut Gems and Waterboy actor before. But beyond the physical demands of the role — Sandler was wired up by stuntmen each day on set — Spaceman brings no new shade to some of the glummer Sandler personas we’re already familiar with. Renck’s film leaves him quite literally lost in space with nowhere to go, and rather than leave us with new perspectives on space travel or marital discord or an awe-eyed curiosity about either, we leave with a shrug.
Siddhant Adlakha of IGN similarly rates it a “Mediocre” 5 out of 10, writing that even a committed performance from the Sandman can’t save the dull space drama from devolving into a parody of itself. The critic concludes:
Despite thoughtful visual artistry, and a great dramatic performance from Adam Sandler, Johan Renck’s Spaceman ends up too scattered, and too literal, to make its tale of a lonely astronaut feel remotely important. It travels to the edge of existence and finds nothing worth reflecting on, even though expository dialogue from a Paul Dano-voiced spider alien keeps insisting otherwise.
Spaceman seems to have impressed some of the critics more than others, but if you’re a fan of Adam Sandler — and especially his more dramatic turns — this might be one you want to check out regardless. If you can’t catch it during its theatrical release that kicks off February 23, you’ll be able to stream it on Netflix starting March 1. In the meantime, check out our 2024 movie calendar to see what else is coming to the big screen, and see what else is new and coming soon to Netflix.
