Hubie Halloween (2020)
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A bullied delicatessen worker must save his town from a kidnapper during the Halloween festivities.
The story
In Salem, Massachusetts, Hubert "Hubie" Dubois is a friendly but dimwitted delicatessen employee who is frequently bullied by his neighbors and local authorities. As the official Halloween Helper, Hubie spends his holidays monitoring the city. The day before Halloween, news spreads that a convict and childhood friend of Hubie's has escaped from a mental institution. On Halloween day, Hubie investigates strange noises at a neighbor's home and is recruited by a police sergeant into an auxiliary undercover unit. However, the assignment is merely a distraction to keep him out of the way while various hijinks occur across town.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Hubie Dubois, a bullied and dimwitted delicatessen worker in Salem, Massachusetts, serves as the town's official Halloween Helper. When his childhood friend Richie Hartman escapes from a mental institution, Hubie is 'recruited' by Sergeant Steve Downey into an auxiliary undercover unit, though it is actually a ruse to keep him away from trouble. While monitoring a local party, Hubie is tricked into a corn maze where he witnesses his co-worker Mike disappear. He then encounters his neighbor Walter, who believes he is turning into a werewolf, and follows him to a haunted house. During the chaos, several people are kidnapped, including Mr. and Mrs. Hennessey and Pete Landolfa. Downey suspects Hubie is the culprit seeking revenge on his bullies. Hubie eventually discovers that his own mother is the kidnapper, having taken the victims as revenge for their past torment of him. He rescues them just as the police and media arrive. After his mother disappears using a 'Frankenstein trick,' the townspeople admit they were jealous of Hubie. One year later, Hubie is married to his love interest Violet, serves as the new mayor, and prepares for a peaceful Halloween with his new foster children.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Brill
- Writers
- Tim Herlihy · writer; Adam Sandler · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adam Sandler · Hubie Dubois; Kevin James · Sergeant Steve Downey; Julie Bowen · Violet Valentine; Ray Liotta · Pete Landolfa; Rob Schneider · Richie Hartman; June Squibb · Mrs. Estelle Dubois; Kenan Thompson · Sergeant Blake; Shaquille O'Neal · DJ Aurora
- Genres
- horror; comedy; mystery
- Themes
- bullying; revenge; friendship
- Tone and mood
- comedy; horror; mystery
- Premise and plot tags
- Halloween; Comedy; Mystery; Horror; Bullying
- Content notes
- bullying
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some noting it was better than Sandler's other recent comedies. It was a top-streamed title on Netflix in its first two weeks.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 52% · review count: 85; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Actor · Golden Raspberry Awards · 41st · Nomination; Worst Screen Combo · Golden Raspberry Awards · 41st · Nomination; Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel · Golden Raspberry Awards · 41st · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film is dedicated to actor Cameron Boyce, who died in 2019.; Ben Stiller reprises his role from Happy Gilmore (1996).; Tim Meadows wore a full bald cap to appear completely bald.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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