Hubie Halloween Movie Review - Trick Or Treat

Hubie Halloween has a few tricks up its sleeves, along with a delightful treat in the form of Adam Sandler.

Hubie (Adam Sandler) is a meek child under the disguise of an adult (man-child?). And similar to a child who gets all protective about his/her toy, Hubie cares for his city Salem, which has a witch-y history. On every Halloween, Hubie arms himself with the task of making sure the festival goes as smooth as the knife on a butter (or skin, if we are in the mood). His selfless act is disdained by the people. When cycling, he is greeted with a variety of objects thrown in his direction. And boy, does Hubie know how to dodge an attack. You wonder how someone pulling off such incredible stunts on the cycle falls off from the wall when jumping. But then, Halloween happens to be Hubie's favourite time of the year, and he is also scared easily. People take advantage of this situation.

He is thrown in the center of spooky pranks. Someone puts lamb's head at the store. He is tricked in the washroom, a "headless" driver chases him and so on. Poor Hubie easily falls into their trap. The kids go after him to attack. The elders avoid or call him names like Pubie. His mother (June Squibb) wants him to stand up against the bullies. When sympathized about the mess made out on the lawn, she responds, "Happens every year!" The camera stays a second longer on her sweet, puppy face. You feel the pain tossed on her family by the locals. Those few seconds make you go "Aww" more than watching a good-natured Hubie being pranked on periodically. I do not want any negative takeaways here. Adam does a fine job of putting on a naive mask. But June makes you empathize a great deal in those few seconds. Speaking of her, look out for the hilarious texts on her shirt, one of which saves a gag for later where "boner" is mistaken for, well, "mistake."

The focus of the plot centers around a psycho on the loose. With some disappearances going around, Hubie starts to suspect his neighbour Walter Lambert (Steve Buscemi). He is one of the few ones around who is not bitter with Hubie. And no, that is not any reason for suspicion. It's all in his strange behaviour. He tells Hubie to not interrupt if he hears strange noises from inside the house. He even hammers the windows with wood. After listening to his howling and finding him in a forest with thick hairs on his hand, Hubie believes him to be a werewolf and the culprit behind the ongoing kidnappings. There is someone else, seen through two triangular eye cuts. Who is that? What is happening? That's for the viewer to find out.

As mentioned earlier, not everybody treats Hubie like a dick. Among them is his long-time crush Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen). She achieved the high-school hat trick - Most friendly, most popular, and best looking. She adopts orphans, giving them a new family. Valentine really is filled with lots of love. I will let you in on a secret: Even she likes Hubie. Stop screaming spoiler; it's written all over her face. And anyway, the spoiler-y part concerns the identity of the killer. Looking back, the reveal holds minimum sense though I could understand the motive. Is that enough? No. It's not thought out well or fleshed out satisfyingly.

If we are on issues, I should point out how Hubie Halloween lacks any urgency, Killers are on the loose, but we don't tighten our teeth. The problem is, we are never on the same page as the characters. Sure, you laugh at some jokes, then what? You never feel anything for or with them. The thriller aspect is as real as Hubie's Canadian girlfriend. The broad and binary strokes given to the characters doesn't help either. They are either good or bad, followed by a line of definition (he is a priest, she is a mother, he is a fresher and so on), Nothing more to bite off.

And still, I found myself enjoying Hubie Halloween more than I should have. It might be something to do with my appetite for oddball comedies. I love weird situations, eccentric characters. Hell, I had a good laugh with some nice gags. There is one with a radio jockey. Then, there is Hubie covered in a white sheet as a ghost, in a school, teaching safety regulations for Halloween. Oh, and I adored his James Bond-style bottle, which transformed according to the need of the situation. If only I could get one. Make sure to catch puns like "Yolks on you" and "Hubie, do be...careful". Of course, how can you forget the title Hubie Halloween? I will not be surprised if Hubie reminds one of Hughie (The Boys) with respect to wordplay or other things.

Director Steven Brill has a good eye for humour. Seamus Tierney's cinematography brings aesthetic pleasure. The colours pop out, making the world look like a fairy tale. Watch out for a couple of surprises from the cast of SNL. I don't know how much is shown in the trailers. I avoid them, and that helps in providing a better experience. If you are looking for a light, fun night, this movie is the right choice. Hubie Halloween is a decent watch, one that is as sweet as the Halloween candies.

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