Adam Sandler and the Space Spider of “Spaceman”
If you’re an arachnophobe, you’d better steer clear of Adam Sandler’s movie Spaceman on Netflix, because Sandler, as an astronaut in deep space, winds up sharing his spacecraft with an intelligent, human-sized creature that strongly resembles a gigantic spider, complete with multiple eyes and jointed appendages…
The movie isn’t a comedy, but might remind some of either an extremely good or bad acid trip, depending on your personal perspective. When Sandler gets over his initial shock and horror over the uninvited stowaway, he doesn’t reach for the can of Raid or Black Flag, finding instead that the arthropod is an explorer like himself who has studied Earth languages, and is more than capable of carrying on a thoughtful conversation…
The spidery alien assures Sandler that he doesn’t want to harm or consume him, and is adept at probing into Sandler’s mind where he finds that Sandler has what might be termed “relationship problems” with his wife on Earth. The empathetic “Spider-Man” has a soothing voice, is endlessly patient, and frankly appears to be a natural therapist who wants to help Sandler with his feelings, emotionality, and relationship. I swear that I am not making this up…
Sandler’s character, a Czech astronaut on a solitary mission to the purplish Chopra Cloud, is a morose and gloomy individual. The spider-alien, while repellent in appearance, becomes rather endearing, providing who he calls the “skinny human” with psychotherapy. The movie has an identity crisis, becoming an oddball psychological drama rather than traditional science fiction. As such, it may leave many viewers confused and unsatisfied, with an ambiguous, “write your own ending” resolution. The movie may change your opinion of spiders, however, terrestrial or otherwise. I just doubt that I’ll ever want to give one a big ole hug. This is high weirdness, indeed…
Tags: Adam Sandler's "Spaceman", Space spiders
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FOXSYLVANIA 
March 6, 2024 at 2:53 am
I might like such a plot better if it had been part of Hotel Transylvania 5. I’ve found Sandler much funnier, in that film franchise, than in any of his live-action offerings. And, yes, that includes his cinematic debut in the nearly (not to mention mercifully and deservedly) forgotten “Bulletproof” opposite one of the Wayans Brothers!
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March 6, 2024 at 3:09 am
I’ve entertained myself by wondering if “Spaceman” might have been better had Sandler instead of finding a space spider encountered old characters he’s played on his craft, like “Opera Man” from his SNL days… 🤔
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March 7, 2024 at 2:18 am
I’m afraid even those wouldn’t attract me to the box office for a live-action Adam Sandler.
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March 7, 2024 at 9:57 am
Me neither. Not my favorite guy. I think that Sandler, past his comedic prime, even produces some game shows now. Gotta pay the bills, ‘ya know… 😉
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