When the name of Adam Sandler is associated with a film project in the industry, the first thing that comes to the audiences’ mind is the genre of it being another comedy from the star, and rightfully so. For almost two decades, the star has constantly provided Hollywood with some of the most hilarious and comical films in history,
But unfortunately, the star has also given the world some of the most throwaway pieces of cinema in the process.
But it’s a whole different story when the star tries to create serious and thought-provoking drama films in his career, which somehow are able to do wonders almost every time, his Uncut Gems is one of the best examples.
And now, his recent sci-fi/drama film Spaceman also serves as an indicator that Sandler should start doing more serious roles in his career and try to distance himself from comedy just for a bit.
Netflix’s Spaceman Proves Why Adam Sandler Should Do More Serious Roles Going Forward
Known throughout the industry as a master of comedy on the big screen, it’s rare to witness Adam Sandler taking on a role that is stoic and serious as it’s often considered to be outside his comfort zone. But when he does take on these roles, you’re almost always in for a wild ride that leaves you praising the star’s ability to adapt and excel.
Among his few and far-between drama films, his latest role in the 2024 Netflix sci-fi/drama film Spaceman along with Oscar-nominated co-star Carey Mulligan, he gives yet another amazing performance playing a more downtrodden and exasperated character in the movie.
In a recent interview with MovieFone, the Pixels star revealed how he felt different and good in a certain way to prepare for his part in solitude. He said:
“Well, that’s good. Yes, it made sense to the character to be alone as much as possible. Johan, when we were shooting the alone stuff, kind of just put me in my own world. The cameras were far away, and he let me just feel the sadness on my own. Everybody on the set was nice to me, they kind of left me alone, let me be in my own little weird world. That’s not a place that I tend to be in much. I tend to try to run away from those feelings and just be as happy as possible or try to get back to happiness. This is a place where you just say, “Let’s just feel those feelings,” and I’m not that great at that, but I did it.”
The result of this type of character portrayal and preparation for his role gave us one of the best performances by the star in a while, which might suggest he should try doing these types of characters in the future as well.
What Is Spaceman About?
While we often see Sandler playing the role of comic relief in his films, Spaceman took him on a route of absolute and utter loneliness that pushed him and his character to the limits.
The film follows the tale of Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka, who is six months deep in a space mission to investigate a mysterious dust cloud called Chopra suspended slightly beyond Jupiter. Here, as he waits for the South Korean astronauts to arrive, he faces bouts of severe loneliness and anxiety that he’s almost unable to overcome every day.
One day, he finds an alien lifeform in the shape of a giant spider that he also finds out, can communicate telepathically with him. After naming the being Hanus, he comes to find out that the alien seeks to understand humans, which gives them both an incentive to work and stay together for the foreseeable future.
Spaceman, streaming on Netflix.
