It’s too bad that The Week Of isn’t the odd-couple routine it was marketed as, because Adam Sandler and Chris Rock have a handful of funny moments as fathers of the bride and groom, respectively, who don’t have much in common. (Sandler’s Long Island dad is low-brow and caring, while Rock’s Los Angeles surgeon is classy and cold.) Certainly their back and forth over whether or not to splurge by turning on the air conditioning in the car they’re sharing is funnier than the endless gags involving Sandler’s legless great uncle (Jim Barone). Sandler wants his character to be dim-witted but good-hearted—the movie takes an excruciating nosedive into sentiment for its final 20 minutes—yet the constant jokes at the expense of anyone with any sort of challenge (including another relative who left rehab to attend the wedding) betrays the film’s mean-spirited essence. Kudos, I guess, to Steve Buscemi for continuing to show up and really commit to these Sandler Netflix sillies. At least he seems to be having fun.
