Adam Sandler has been making movies for more than three decades and delivering laughs along the way. From Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison to 50 First Dates and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and beyond, his filmography reads like a list of must-watch comedies. Sandler was one of the first major A-list stars to sign a deal to make movies for Netflix in 2014, which was extended in 2017 for $250 million for four movies. Sandler re-upped that deal for $275 million for four movies for the streaming service.

One of the films Sandler made for Netflix was 2019's Murder Mystery starring Jennifer Aniston. The film was the biggest Netflix movie of the year with the most streams. Murder Mystery II is on its way, but in the meantime, Sandler's recent film breaks some new ground for the former Saturday Night Live cast member. Hustle is a basketball film about redemption and following your dreams at any cost.

In Hustle, Sandler plays Stanley Sugerman, a scout for the NBA team from Philadelphia. He's poised to make the long-awaited move to assistant coach when the team's owner and his mentor, Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall), dies, leaving his egocentric, arrogant, short-sighted son Vince (Ben Foster) in charge of the team instead. Stanley's promotion is immediately canceled and Vince tells him his job is on the line if he doesn't find the next great NBA star soon. The film features a who's who of current NBA stars as well as Queen Latifah as Sugerman's wife, Teresa. Hustle is poignant, endearing, and hits you in the feels in a big way. It differs from Sandler and his production company Happy Madison's other films in several ways.

Hustle is a Drama

Adam Sandler coaching a basketball player in Hustle
Netflix

Hustle is not Adam Sandler's first foray into the world of dramatic rather than comedic storylines, but it is one that seamlessly integrates the well-developed persona Sandler has with the narrative in a way that both pays tribute to the types of characters he played in earlier non-Netflix movies like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and The Waterboy and evolves that persona to be more in line with middle age and the career-focused storyline of Hustle. The film has some sad scenes and a lot of tense moments and, in the end, is heartwarming and endearing.

Adam Sandler Plays a Serious Character

Adam Sandler coaching in Hustle
Netflix

As stated above, this isn't Adam Sandler's first go around with a dramatic, serious character. He garnered rave reviews for his performance in 2019's Uncut Gems and did great work in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love. But there's something about Sandler's portrayal of Stanley Sugerman that is so authentic, it actually feels like Sandler is playing a version of himself. It's as if basketball is the metaphor for his career and finding the big new NBA player is him searching for his next role and movie.

RELATED: Hustle Review: Adam Sandler Shines in a Superb Sports Drama

Stanley Sugerman is an Everyman (or woman). In at least one point in everyone's life, they find themselves at a career and life crossroad where the next choice could determine their happiness or lack thereof. We all know (or are/have been) Stanley Sugerman. He is a very relatable character.

Sandler's Wife Isn’t in Hustle

Queen Latifah and Adam Sandler in Hustle
Netflix

Although Hustle is the latest Happy Madison production for Netflix, the film breaks with one very big Adam Sandler/Happy Madison tradition: Sandler's wife Jackie isn't in the movie. Usually, at least one member of Sandler's family appears in his films, with Jackie being the most common.The couple met in 1999 when both were appearing in Big Daddy. Since then, the couple have appeared together in many films, including 50 First Dates, Murder Mystery, and Little Nicky. Hustle breaks with that tradition. Sandler's daughter Sunny does appear in a scene briefly and is credited as "Greek 13-Year-Old Girl."

Hustle Feels Like a True Story

Adam Sandler in Hustle
Netflix

The plot of Hustle feels like a true story, and that's unusual for an Adam Sandler/Happy Madison project. Billy Madison, Hot Chicks, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, and LIttle Nicky (to name a few) are not exactly credible storylines. Sandler's career has largely focused on the more ridiculous and overblown side of life. Hustle, on the other hand, is a movie about a man at a crossroads in his career. Everything he wants is just out of reach unless he has the balls to go for it. If that's not a relatable scenario, we don't know what is.

RELATED: Adam Sandler Says He 'Popped' His Groin While Filming New Movie Hustle

Sandler's Fans Have Aged and So Has His Storytelling

Adam Sandler in Hustle
Netflix

Adam Sandler is 55 years old (he will be 56 in September 2022). He's no longer young enough to pull off the kind of characters that made him famous. He appears to have realized that his strengths in storytelling now lie in stories about the situations middle-aged people face. This works because as Sandler has aged, so have his fans, and this shift to deeper, more nuanced and dramatic characters with life-altering conflicts rings as true for Sandler's fans as it does for Sandler himself. Sandler's fans will keep flocking to his films as long as Sandler's characters keep evolving. That's how Sandler can ensure he has a hit movie on his hands.