The Ridiculous 6: Is It Adam Sandler's Worst Movie?
Skip it. The Ridiculous 6 earned a historic 0% on Rotten Tomatoes for good reason. This 2015 Netflix western is loaded with racist stereotypes, crude humor, and offensive content that makes it inappropriate for kids and honestly pretty unwatchable for adults too. If you're looking for family-friendly Adam Sandler, try Bedtime Stories or Hotel Transylvania instead.
In 2015, Netflix made a massive deal with Adam Sandler for four exclusive movies. The Ridiculous 6 was the first, and it set a pretty dismal tone. The movie is a spoof of classic westerns (think The Magnificent Seven), following six half-brothers who team up to save their outlaw father.
Sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong.
The production was so problematic that Native American actors and a cultural consultant walked off set in protest of the script's racist depictions. The movie includes offensive stereotypes about Native Americans, crude jokes about women, donkey defecation humor (yes, really), and a general mean-spiritedness that feels dated even by 2015 standards.
Critics absolutely demolished it. That 0% Rotten Tomatoes score isn't a typo—not a single professional critic gave it a positive review. Netflix claimed it was their most-watched movie in its first 30 days, but that metric came out before anyone had actually watched it and realized what they were in for.
If you grew up with Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore, you might think "eh, Sandler movies are always crude but harmless." The Ridiculous 6 is different.
The racism isn't subtle. Native American characters are named things like "Beaver's Breath" and "Never Wears Bras." There are teepee urination jokes. Native women are objectified in ways that made actual Native American actors refuse to continue filming. This isn't edgy comedy—it's just offensive.
The humor is aggressively crude in ways that don't land. There's an extended scene of a donkey explosively defecating on people. Taylor Lautner plays a character with intellectual disabilities for laughs. Women exist primarily as prostitutes or punchlines.
It's also just boring. At 119 minutes, this movie drags. The plot is thin, the jokes don't work, and even Sandler's usual charm feels phoned in. Kids will be bored by the pacing, and adults will be cringing at the content.
Netflix rates this TV-14, but that feels wildly optimistic.
Not appropriate for kids under 13, full stop. The racist stereotypes alone make this a non-starter for family viewing. You don't want to have to pause a movie every five minutes to explain why a joke is offensive and why we don't laugh at other cultures.
Teens 13-15? Still a hard pass. Yes, teens can handle crude humor, but there's a difference between age-appropriate raunchiness and content that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. If your teen is interested in westerns, show them something actually good like True Grit or even the Rango animated film.
Older teens and adults? You still won't enjoy it, but at least you'll understand why it's problematic rather than just absorbing the stereotypes uncritically.
Fair question! Not all of Sandler's Netflix deal was a disaster:
- The Do-Over (2016): Still crude, still not great, but less actively offensive. TV-MA.
- Sandy Wexler (2017): Weird but mostly harmless. PG-13.
- Murder Mystery (2019): Actually decent! A fun, light comedy-mystery with Jennifer Aniston. PG-13 and genuinely family-friendly for teens.
- Hubie Halloween (2020): Silly Halloween comedy that's actually appropriate for kids 8+. This is what you want if you're looking for family Sandler content.
- Hustle (2022): Surprisingly great basketball drama. Shows Sandler can actually act when he wants to. PG-13.
The Ridiculous 6 is genuinely the worst of the bunch.
If your kid stumbled across this on Netflix and you're looking for something in the same vein but actually watchable:
For younger kids (8-12) who want silly westerns:
- Rango - Animated, weird, visually stunning
- The Lone Ranger - Flawed but fun, with Johnny Depp
- Back to the Future Part III - Western time travel!
For teens (13+) who want actual good westerns:
- True Grit (2010 version) - Fantastic, with a strong young female lead
- The Magnificent Seven (2016 remake) - Diverse cast, solid action
- Django Unchained - R-rated but brilliant (for older teens with parent discretion)
For family-friendly Adam Sandler:
- Hubie Halloween
- Bedtime Stories
- Hotel Transylvania series
- Click (surprisingly emotional, PG-13)
If your kid has already seen The Ridiculous 6 (Netflix's autoplay is aggressive), it's worth having a conversation rather than just moving on.
For younger kids: Keep it simple. "That movie had some jokes that made fun of Native American people in ways that aren't okay. Comedy should make us laugh, not hurt other people."
For teens: Go deeper. Talk about stereotypes, why the Native American actors walked off set, and how comedy has changed (and needs to keep changing). Ask what they thought of the humor—did they notice anything that felt off? This can be a great teachable moment about media literacy
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The Ridiculous 6 isn't just bad—it's offensively bad in ways that make it genuinely not worth your time. That 0% on Rotten Tomatoes is earned. The racist stereotypes, crude humor, and general laziness make this a hard pass for families.
Adam Sandler has made plenty of questionable movies, but he's also made some genuinely good ones. Skip this and watch literally anything else from his filmography. Your kids won't miss out on anything except learning some harmful stereotypes, and you won't miss out on anything except two hours you'll never get back.
Next time your kid says "Let's watch an Adam Sandler movie," steer them toward Hubie Halloween or Murder Mystery instead. They'll still get silly Sandler humor without the offensive baggage.
And if they really want a western? There are so many better options out there. Check out our guide to age-appropriate westerns for kids for recommendations that won't make you cringe.