To answer your questions right away: Yes, there's a new Adam Sandler film. It is indeed part of his multi-picture deal with Netflix (his fourth -- The Meyerowitz Stories was a Netflix acquisition not an original production of theirs). Yes, he once again plays a dippy, caustic, mean-spirited, semi-failing, machismo-obsessed father whose good intentions will lead to misery and death. This may be the ninth or tenth time he has played such a role. Yes, the film's director/co-writer – in this case Robert Smigel – will rely all too heavily on casual cruelty, instances of assault, and legitimate infirmities as means of eliciting limp titters. And yes, as usual, the film is an unfunny mess, punctuated by sappy, wistful, phony emotional climaxes it does nothing to earn.

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And, yes, Sandler is, more and more, aggressively proving that he is either unwilling or incapable of doing anything beyond hazy repetition and automatic writing.The new chapter in the Sandler saga of mediocrity is The Week Of , a dreadful and shrill comedy that lazily lifts off Father of the Bride about a lower middle class dad named Kenny (Sandler) who attempts to arrange the perfect wedding reception for his daughter (Allison Strong) in the face of his own underwhelming financial resources and bare-faced incompetence in wedding planning. The hotel where guests are meant to stay is crumbling, and the ever-increasing roster of screeching family members all end up crammed together in his modest home. The scenes of doting, chattering aunts squeezed tightly against grumpy cussing grampas is enough to make one feel claustrophobic.Kenny has also refused to accept the ready financial aid of Kirby (Chris Rock), the groom's father and a wealthy cardiologist, and there is the germ of an idea here; The Week Of could have potentially used Kenny's paternal pride and comparative financial hardship as a cudgel to address the salient relationship conflicts that come from marrying outside of one's class. How, for instance, do the bride and groom (Roland Buck III) relate to one another in vocational terms? How did they meet? Does the groom's wealth cause her stress? Does her relative poverty put him at a perceived advantage in the relationship and how does he feel about that?The Week Of, instead, uses its class divides to highlight differences and increase divisions. How funny that the overweight sister of the groom (Katie Hartman) has no taste in music. How funny that a legless octogenarian requires so much care. How funny that a suicidal addict might be “triggered” into acts of violence or self-harm. The Week Of has no patience with humanity. We are meant to sympathize with Kenny's wounded pride above all else, even if it causes him to insult or exploit wounded people, and commit acts of vandalism (the plot will eventually lead Kenny and compatriots to flood the mayor's office with bats – please don't ask). And we are meant to root for Kenny, even when he insults his wife (they have screaming matches that can be heard throughout the house), fails as a father (he never talks to his daughter), and even commits an act of casual racism so fliply delivered, I wonder if the filmmakers realized how racist it was. It's very hard to feel much compassion toward a wounded white dude who does nothing but damage with his “good intentions.”Can the supporting players save anything? The cast includes not only Sandler and Rock, but also Sandler regular Steve Buscemi and SNL veteran Rachel Dratch. Many of these comedians have done excellent work in the past, but they all seem to be sleepwalking here. There's no sense of growing tension, no slow burn, no chemistry. In every instance, the most obvious piece of improv is good enough for the final cut. In an overcrowded family comedy, one requires a watertight script and impeccable direction. The Week Of never gets past the shabby stage.I don't want to hate Adam Sandler films. I would love for the man to break out of his usual mold and surprise me. I'm tired of being disappointed. But as long as Sandler continues to mine for humor in the same dark caves, and as long as he insists on inserting wholly undeserved emotional payoffs into his mean-spirited celebrations of ignorance and pride, I will continue to bristle at his work. He has two films left in his contract with Netflix. Let's hope Sandler uses one of those opportunities to expand, explore, and rise above. We all deserve more.