100% Fresh

Adam Sandler’s return to stand-up after more than twenty years is less a traditional hour of comedy and more of a manic, fast-paced road show that relies on goofy songs and earnestness to win over the crowd. Instead of sticking to a single stage, director Steven Brill stitches together recordings from a dozen different performances, jumping from intimate comedy clubs like New York’s Comedy Cellar to packed arenas and even a subway station. Armed with an acoustic guitar and self-deprecating musical numbers, Sandler manages to captivate rooms of all sizes by leaning into his classic, boyish persona.\n\nBy 2018, Sandler had spent two decades transitioning from a movie star to a prolific, often critically-maligned producer of broad streaming films under his Netflix deal. The title of this special was a playful jab at his adversarial relationship with critics, but the hour unexpectedly became his most widely acclaimed project in years. Memorable bits include his daily mental checklist \”Phone, Wallet, Keys,\” a song about taking a disastrous dick pic for his wife, and a sweet, emotional tribute to his late friend and former Saturday Night Live castmate Chris Farley. The show earned a 90% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Primetime Emmy nomination for writing.