You know that feeling when you're flipping through Netflix at 11 PM and you see Adam Sandler’s face next to David Spade’s? It’s basically the cinematic equivalent of comfort food. It isn't exactly fine dining. It’s more like a sleeve of Thin Mints—you know you shouldn't eat the whole thing, but you’re gonna do it anyway.
People love to hate on these guys. Critics, especially. But if you’re looking for a movie with David Spade and Adam Sandler, you aren't looking for Citizen Kane. You’re looking for two guys who have been best friends since the George H.W. Bush administration just hanging out and making each other laugh.
They’ve done a lot together. Over a dozen projects if you count the cameos and the voice acting. But their partnership isn't just a business deal. It’s a decades-long bromance that survived the high-pressure cooker of Saturday Night Live and the tragic loss of their mutual best friend, Chris Farley.
The 1990s: Where the Chaos Started
Honestly, most people forget they were in movies together back in the 90s because they were so busy being "The Bad Boys of SNL." Their first real film overlap was Coneheads (1993). Sandler had a tiny part as Carmine, and Spade played Eli Turnbull.
It was weird. It was quirky. It was peak 90s.
But the real magic of that era wasn't necessarily them on screen together. It was the "Sandlerverse" beginning to form. Sandler started Happy Madison Productions in 1999, and that’s when the floodgates opened. He didn't just want to be a star; he wanted to bring his friends along for the ride.
The Grown Ups Era: The Ultimate Payday
If you ask the average person to name a movie with David Spade and Adam Sandler, they’re going to say Grown Ups.
The premise is basically: what if we got paid millions of dollars to go to a lake house with our actual friends? Sandler, Spade, Chris Rock, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider. It’s less of a scripted film and more of a captured vacation.
Why Grown Ups (2010) actually matters
- The Chemistry: You can’t fake the way these guys make fun of each other. When Spade’s character, Marcus Higgins, gets roasted for being a perpetual bachelor, those jokes feel like they've been refined over thirty years of private dinners.
- The Box Office: Critics absolutely mauled it. It has a 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences? They spent $271 million on it.
- The Philosophy: It’s about aging. Sorta. It’s about realizing that even when you have kids and a "real" job, you’re still the same idiot who used to throw rocks at cans in 1978.
Then came Grown Ups 2 in 2013. More of the same. More pratfalls. More David Spade being the "cool" one who is actually just kind of a mess.
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The Netflix Pivot: The Do-Over and Beyond
Everything changed when Sandler signed that massive deal with Netflix. Suddenly, they didn't need to worry about the box office at all.
The Do-Over (2016) is probably the "purest" example of a movie with David Spade and Adam Sandler as a duo. Unlike the Grown Ups ensemble, this is a two-man show.
Spade plays Charlie, a depressed bank manager living a pathetic life. Sandler plays Max, an old friend who fakes their deaths so they can start over with new identities.
It’s darker than their usual stuff. There’s a plot involving a cure for cancer (no, seriously), a lot of gunfights, and a truly bizarre amount of scenes involving Luis Guzmán. It’s the kind of movie that feels like it was written on a napkin during a flight to Puerto Rico.
Is it good?
That depends. Do you like seeing David Spade get punched in the face? If yes, it’s a masterpiece.
The Animation Factor: Hotel Transylvania
We can't talk about these two without mentioning the invisible man. Literally.
In the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Sandler voiced Dracula (until the fourth one) and Spade plays Griffin the Invisible Man. It’s funny because you only hear their voices, but the rhythm is still there. That SNL timing doesn't go away just because you’re a cartoon vampire or a pair of floating glasses.
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The Ridiculous 6: A Western... Sort Of
In 2015, they did The Ridiculous 6. Sandler is the lead (Tommy "White Knife" Stockburn), and Spade pops up as... General George Custer.
It’s a weird cameo. Spade plays Custer as a rambling, self-obsessed weirdo. It’s exactly the kind of character Spade excels at—the guy who thinks he’s the smartest person in the room while the building is literally on fire.
Why Do They Keep Working Together?
It’s easy to be cynical and say it’s for the money. And sure, the money is great. But there’s a story David Spade told Jimmy Fallon once that kind of explains their whole vibe.
Spade was at a restaurant and found out Sandler was in the back room having a dinner for 15 people. Spade, trying to be a big shot, told the waiter he’d cover Sandler’s entire tab. He thought it would be a few hundred bucks.
The bill was $9,000.
Spade’s credit card company actually called him the next day to ask if his card had been stolen because the purchase was so out of character. Sandler just laughed.
That’s the energy. They are a pack.
A Quick Cheat Sheet of Their Shared Filmography
- Coneheads (1993): The beginning.
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007): Spade has a tiny cameo as a "Transvestite Groupie."
- Grown Ups (2010): The big one.
- Jack and Jill (2011): Spade plays a character named Monica. Yes, in drag.
- Hotel Transylvania (2012-2022): The voice-over years.
- Grown Ups 2 (2013): The sequel nobody asked for but everyone watched.
- The Ridiculous 6 (2015): The Western experiment.
- The Do-Over (2016): The pure duo dynamic.
- Sandy Wexler (2017): Spade appears as himself.
The Verdict: Are They Actually Good?
Here is the thing about a movie with David Spade and Adam Sandler: they are review-proof.
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If you look at the "Tomatometer," these movies are a disaster. But if you look at the "Audience Score," people generally have a blast. They provide a specific type of escapism. They’re about friendship. They’re about not taking life too seriously.
Spade is the perfect foil for Sandler. Sandler is often the "alpha" or the guy with the short fuse. Spade is the sarcastic, dry, slightly pathetic but lovable underdog. It works because it’s based on a real-life power dynamic where Sandler is the mogul and Spade is the guy just happy to be invited to the party.
What to Watch Next
If you’ve already binged the "Big Two" (Grown Ups and The Do-Over), your next move is actually to look at the movies Sandler produced for Spade.
- The Benchwarmers: Sandler didn't star, but he produced it. It’s basically Spade, Rob Schneider, and Jon Heder being idiots on a baseball field.
- The Wrong Missy: Again, Sandler is the producer here. It stars Spade and is probably the funniest thing Spade has done in a decade. It captures that same chaotic Happy Madison energy even without Sandler on screen.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Movie Night
Don't go into these movies expecting Oppenheimer. You'll be miserable.
Instead:
- Start with The Do-Over: It’s the most modern version of their chemistry.
- Watch with friends: These are "social" movies. They’re meant to be talked over.
- Check out the "Fly on the Wall" podcast: If you want to hear the real stories behind these movies, listen to Spade and Dana Carvey talk to Sandler. It’s better than the movies themselves half the time.
Basically, as long as Adam Sandler has a Netflix contract, David Spade is going to have a job. And honestly? We’re all better off for it. Sometimes you just need to see a 50-year-old man fall off a water slide. It’s good for the soul.
To get the most out of their catalog, try watching them in chronological order. You can literally see them age from young, hungry SNL sketch writers into wealthy dads who just want to wear sweatpants to work. It’s a fascinating, hilarious arc of the American Dream, fueled by dick jokes and genuine loyalty.