Netflix Movie That Breaks An Adam Sandler Rotten Tomatoes Record Is Now Streaming
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Netflix's latest movie from Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions is now streaming, and it's already garnering more acclaim than you'd expect. The partnership between the streamer and Sandler has been going strong since they first teamed up for The Ridiculous 6 back in 2015. Since then, they've combined for another 17 movies in total, with more on the way, including Grown Ups 3. However, they haven't all been well-received.
It has largely been the opposite, in fact. Most of the movies between the two - and most Happy Madison releases overall - have been "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes, though that's offset by higher audience scores and strong viewing numbers. Occasionally, though, a release has managed to attract critical acclaim as well, such as Hustle (92%) and You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah (91%). The former was the record holder for the best RT score of any Happy Madison movie, released by Netflix or otherwise, but that's now been broken.
Taking the crown, by a comfortable distance, is Don't Say Good Luck, which landed on the streaming platform on August 14, 2026. Produced by Adam and Jackie Sandler, the movie stars one of their daughters, Sunny, in the lead role. She plays a theater kid who lands a key role in a high school production of Waitress, but has to balance that with finding out her mother (played by Melanie Lynskey) has cancer.
Don't Say Good Luck Continues A Great Sandler Family Trend
Though Adam Sandler produces Don't Say Good Luck, he doesn't star in it, and actually doesn't even make a cameo appearance, either. As watchable as he always is, this does continue something of a shift in Happy Madison's output at Netflix, which has started moving the focus away from Sandman and onto other members of the family, namely his two daughters: Sunny and Sadie.
Sadie Sandler took the lead role in Roommates, which released on Netflix earlier this year, while she and Sunny shared the spotlight in You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah (which made wonderful use of their father in a supporting role, playing... well, their father). What's great is that these movies break away from the typical Sandler formula, and they feel really fresh by doing so. It allows for an exploration of different stories and themes, and when the elder Sandler does appear, it uses him in different ways from a lot of his lead comedy roles, too.
This is something that should continue, and seems likely after the reception to Don't Say Good Luck. Through this and Bat Mitzvah, Sunny Sandler has established herself as a genuine lead actress with some of her father's comedic chops, and a lot of emotional and dramatic range as well (something that's often underrated and underused with Adam).
Why Don't Say Good Luck's Reviews Are So Good & Why It's Worth Watching
At the time of writing, Don't Say Good Luck's Rotten Tomatoes score is at 97% from 29 reviews, having initially debuted at 100% on the platform, while it also holds a solid 85% audience score. Much of the praise is, rightly, focused on Sunny Sandler's performance, who manages to be charismatic and funny while also shouldering an intense emotional load (and proves she can sing, too).
In Liz Declan's review for ScreenRant, Sandler is described as "a marvel," while the film is "sincerely touching and surprisingly inventive." Similarly, Kristen Maldonado wrote on Pop Culture Planet: "Sandler is sincere and compelling to watch, proving once again she has the charisma and talent to carry a movie on her own."
Aside from Sandler, there's also a lot of praise for Lynskey's performance, such as THR singling her out as "the real gem of this ensemble," while writing for the Webster-Kirkwood Times, Lynn Verhaus writes that "one feels Lynskey and Sandler’s palpable connection."
Having watched the movie, I'd say Sandler is absolutely the standout, delivering a performance that feels authentic and really makes you care about her character and the struggles she's going through. Knowing that it was a Happy Madison movie, I went in expecting plenty of comedy, but didn't quite expect it to be so heartfelt and emotional. This is a movie that very much tugs at the heartstrings and, if you're like me, will make you shed a tear (or several), and is absolutely worth watching and lives up to that Rotten Tomatoes score.
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