Netflix: Review of LEO: A Tuatara's Teachings

November 26, 2023

Leo the Tuatara (Adam Sandler) had been a class pet of a 5th grade classroom of an elementary school in Florida. He remembered that his first year in the school was in 1949, which meant that he was already 74 years old. When he learned from his fellow class pet Squirtle the Turtle (Bill Burr) that the typical lifespan of tuataras is 75 years, Leo felt that he needed to achieve something in his life before he passed on. 

A very strict substitute teacher Mrs. Malkin (Cicely Strong) took over the class from the pregnant Mrs. Salinas (Alison Strong). She assigned one child to take Leo home with them over the weekend. First up was the talkative girl Summer, followed by overprotected boy Eli, popular girl Jayda, clingy girl Mia, bully boy Anthony, and the others. After an initial shock that Leo can talk, each kid got to discuss with Leo about their personal problems.

When I saw the Happy Madison name in the opening credits, I was prepping myself for another raunchy comedy by Adam Sandler and his gang. However, this animated feature turned out to be anything but. Of course, there were naughty jokes and juvenile humor here and there, but the heart of this film was something you'd least expect from a Sandler film -- the sharing of wisdom from a senior to children, and this one delivered.

The children's problems may be over-the-top as presented, but they are very real -- learning to communicate properly, learning to express their emotions, learning to deal with physical changes of adolescence, among others. When the kids were able to work out their personal problems, they were able to work out their problems with their classmates, their school work and even their substitute teacher.  All this child psychology in Sandler's inimitable style.

If there were anything totally silly about this film, it would be when the action shifted to the Everglades. The twist that made these events happen was not comfortable to watch, and may be misunderstood by young audiences, especially that a teacher was the perpetrator. This part  did not really have any life lessons, only foolishness about Leo and alligators, swamp creatures and ex-party animals. This is the Sandler we knew after all. 8/10.