Adam Sandler’s New Movie Rockets to No. 1 on Streaming, and He’s Celebrating in Style

Adam Sandler is having a pretty good week — and he wants everyone to know it. Sandler's latest gig as a producer just delivered a new Netflix hit called 'Roommates', and he went online to toss out a quick flex about it. If you missed his subtle victory lap, he posted a blink-and-you-miss-it clip on X (nope, I still can't bring myself to call it 'X', but that's another battle) showing off the movie behind the scenes, and kept his celebration short and sweet: 'Yupppp.'

'Roommates': How We Got Here

So what's the story with 'Roommates'? This comedy shot up to number one on Netflix, hopping over the competition after sitting at #3 just a week before (for the stats nerds: it was trailing behind 'Thrash' and '180' with an 8.8 million viewership count and an eye-popping 157 million hours watched — Netflix always picks the most bonkers metrics for these things). Since it landed, it's basically divided everyone: fans and critics can't agree, Rotten Tomatoes is holding it at a solid (if not earth-shattering) 70%, and nobody's calling it a masterpiece, but clearly, lots of people are hitting 'play'.

The Premise (and Yep, It's Very College)

If you're looking for plot, here's the nutshell: Devon, who's basically desperate to make college go better than her less-than-awesome high school years, tries to make friends fast. She latches onto Celeste — think cool, confident, the classic 'wish I was that person' energy. They become roommates, and obviously, things go south fast. Friendship, then rivalry. Again, not re-inventing the wheel, but it's a setup that works for a campus comedy.

Behind the Camera – and Why That Matters

Here's where it actually gets interesting. Adam Sandler, who could probably fund his own streaming service at this point, saw Chandler Levack's debut indie 'I Like Movies' (a movie so low-budget she joked 'it literally doesn't even have lights') and basically cold-called her. According to Levack, Sandler reached out, got her the 'Roommates' script, and backed her as director for a $30 million feature — a giant leap if you look at her resume. Sandler clearly likes to take risks, or at least has a soft spot for scrappy filmmakers.

'He truly believed in me. I don’t know how you look at “I Like Movies,” a film that literally doesn’t even have lights, and think that person is capable of directing a $30 million feature.'

Who Else Is in on This?

The movie's script is written by Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O'Sullivan, and there are enough familiar names in the cast to fill a college lecture hall:

• Sadie Sandler (yep, keeping it in the family)
• Chloe East
• Sarah Sherman
• Natasha Lyonne
• Nick Kroll
• Storm Reid
• Billy Bryk
• Ivy Wolk
• Aidan Langford
• Bella Murphy
• Jaya Harper
• Janeane Garofalo

Honestly, that's a pretty stacked lineup for a supposed 'indie-energy' comedy. Sandler might be running a family business at this point, but the man's still got an eye for loading a cast list.

Bottom Line

If you're curious what happens when Adam Sandler puts his Netflix power behind a college comedy from a director whose last movie needed a Kickstarter and a prayer, 'Roommates' is sitting right at the top of your Netflix page. It's not making every critic swoon, but clearly millions of people are streaming it anyway. Sometimes, that's all it takes.