I didn’t hate The Ridiculous 6 and I’m not even sorry.

I’ll gain little for saying it, but “The Ridiculous 6” isn’t half bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not good and it has the usual missteps and misfires of Sandler’s recent output but it’s by no means the ungodly abomination unto comedy whose only possible value could be to make Seth MacFarlane feel a little better about “A Million Ways To Die In The West” as it’s being made out to be.

When an outlaw’s son who was raised by Native Americans finds out he has five half-brothers, he recruits them to help in a madcap scheme to help out their deadbeat dad who is being held by a notorious gang of bandits.

There are probably few actors working today who are as divisive as Adam Sandler apparently is. Largely despised by critics, his work and continued success simultaneously baffles and infuriates his many, many detractors. Me, I quite like some of his films and don’t care for some others. I count “The Wedding Singer”, “50 First Dates” and “Happy Gilmore” among my favourite comedies but there’s no denying he’s been involved with some real stinkers.

So it was with an open mind and low expectations that I sat down to watch “The Ridiculous 6” and I have to say it was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. There are even moments of real amusement and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh out loud a few times. Harvey Keitel, Jorge Garcia and Vanilla Ice’s unique portrayal of Mark Twain were all highlights as far as I’m concerned. Sandler plays it pretty straight and instead it’s Taylor Lautner who’s left to gamely shoulder the trademark Sandler-esque offensive buffoonery.

Yes, it’s crude, stupid, self-indulgent stuff as Sandler and his pals have a good time riffing on the clichés and conventions of the Western. It’s no “Blazing Saddles” – not even close – but for me, it’s actually a more successful movie than Seth MacFarlane’s 2014 disappointment.

If you’re a died-in-the-wool Adam Sandler hater, there’s absolutely nothing here that’s going to change your mind and it will probably just confirm everything you expect but I have to say, I was pleasantly…well, if not surprised, I was pleasantly relieved to find it was a sporadically funny and surprisingly star-studded comedy with a few real laugh out loud moments.