“And the Oscar goes to, Adam Sandler!” Are those words you ever thought you would hear in your lifetime? As crazy as it may sound, we can’t absolutely rule it out. The Meyerowitz Stories earned the actor a 4-minute standing ovation at Cannes and there has been considerable buzz ever since. Now Netflix has released the first trailer for The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) and it actually seems like this buzz may have been warranted. Plus, we get to see Ben Stiller punch Adam Sandler in the face.
Netflix stepped in and scooped up The Meyerowitz Stories after it premiered, which has been standard practice for them on the festival circuit these days. Not to mention that they have a contract with Adam Sandler that has him produce original movies for them, but those are the usual Happy Madison offerings that most people probably wouldn’t watch unless they were free on Netflix. This, however, is something entirely different. For the first time in a long time, it looks like we are going to be treated to the best version of Adam Sandler.
The Meyerowitz Stories features an estranged family who gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father, played by Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate). The cast also includes Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder), Oscar-winner Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Elizabeth Marvel (True Grit) and Grace Van Patten (Tramps). Putting together a cast like that, assuming the best versions of those actors all show up for this movie, could mean we are looking at a serious awards season contender.
As crazy as it may sound right now, the idea of Adam Sandler possibly doing some award-worthy acting actually isn’t totally unheard of. His work in Punch Drunk Love was certainly worthy and he also did great work in movies like Reign Over Me and Funny People. He just makes it very hard to forget because, for everyone one of those great performances, we get ten Grown Ups. Netflix seems to think this movie has potential as well, as they are giving it a limited theatrical release, which is needed to qualify for the Academy Awards. Typically, they just dump their new movies right onto their streaming service, so the theatrical release indicates they feel good about their chances.
Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha) wrote and directed The Meyerowitz Stories, which is set to arrive on October 13, which is the same day the movie will drop on Netflix. That could definitely hurt the potential for this movie to make anything at the box office, but it’s pretty safe to assume Netflix isn’t putting this thing in theaters for the money. The streaming service has yet to score an Oscar nomination for any of their movies yet, even though Beasts of No Nation was close, so they are definitely hoping they can change that this year. And it might be Adam Sandler, of all people, who gets it done. Be sure to check out the first trailer for The Meyerowitz Stories for yourself below.