When it comes to the performance given by Adam Sandler's kids in his new movie, you are so not going to hear anything other than praise from director Sammi Cohen.
The filmmaker recently weighed in on the "nepo babies" debate surrounding the actor's decision to have his teenage daughters Sadie Sandler and Sunny Sandler act alongside him in the Netflix film You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
"Sandler has a reputation for making movies with his friends, and that's something we all want to do," Sammi told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Aug. 29. "What I say is, he's still making movies with his friends, but they're his kids. He is the kind of dad who's also your best friend. When it comes to the sort of chatter we're hearing online, I don't really think twice about it because I'm going like, ‘Yeah, he's doing the same thing he's always done.'"
The movie—based on Fiona Rosenbloom's 2005 book of the same name—follows BFFs Stacy (Sunny) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) who are both planning bat mitzvahs but have a falling out after Lydia kisses Stacy's crush.
Adam plays the father of Stacy, and Sadie portrays her sister Ronnie. And they aren't the only family members in the film. Adam's wife Jackie Sandler—who's acted with her husband in movies like Hubie Halloween as well as appeared in separate films like Daddy Daughter Trip—plays Lydia's mom.
Sammi told The Hollywood Reporter that Sunny and Sadie were already attached to the movie when they signed on as director and they "really built out the rest of the cast"—which also includes Adam's Uncut Gems costar Idina Menzel as his onscreen wife—"and the rest of the world around them—Adam and Jackie and everyone else."
However, Sammi suggested they didn't have any issues with this, noting the teens had appeared in their dad's movies before—including Grown Ups and Murder Mystery—and were used to being on set.
"But one thing that just sticks out—they work harder than most adults I know," they added. "They love acting and filmmaking in general. They take such an interest in how the movie is made, and they're both so talented."
"I think Sunny feels like this really real kid," Sammi continued. "She's got this incredible free-spirited nature and a natural silliness that elicits moments of charming vulnerability. She's lovable and relatable and the kind of person you root for. Sadie, too—all I had to do with Sadie is empower her to lean into what she does best. She's got this natural ability to be just effortlessly funny with that dry humor in her grounded delivery."
But make no mistake: Adam isn't afraid to give his kids pointers.
"He's hilarious, and he's always making everything funnier," the Crush director explained. "He really gave everyone space to do their thing, but when people needed support, he was there. He's wearing multiple hats—producing, acting, being an actual dad. It's almost inhuman. Nothing suffers—he does it all 110 percent. I would say he's a good coach. He knows when to push; he knows when to take a step back. He just understands how to make a good movie, and he's one of the funniest, kindest human beings."