These days, it seems giving Adam Sandler a hard time is as easy as riding a bike or reciting the alphabet. Like Nickelback or Smash Mouth, Adam Sandler has been turned into a meme… and it might be too late for him. From his early beginnings on Saturday Night Live to his recent string of movies that could honestly all be called Sandler and Friends Take a Vacation, it seems no film of his is safe from the jokers and cynics online. Clearly, he’s doing just fine—Netflix keeps giving him movies and even claim that his films are their most-watched titles by far.
This doesn’t change anything, though. He’s still a punching bag online. This just isn’t right! Adam Sandler deserves a second chance. There is still hope. There is a possibility that, if you look at his best roles, you might realize just how important Adam Sandler is and how we need him now more than ever.
Punch-Drunk Love
Paul Thomas Anderson made us realize Adam Sandler actually has the potential to do well in a film. Punch-Drunk Love, where Sandler stars as an eccentric and neurotic man who falls for a British woman, is truly great. Sandler was born to play the part—Anderson no doubt wrote it for him specifically, but it’s no matter. It’s fantastic.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
The same goes for The Meyerowitz Stories, written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Sandler plays a character not very different from his usual roles—a sad man with possible anger problems—but it feels so different with Baumbach in charge. Sandler’s performance is excellent.
Funny People
Judd Apatow’s longest and most muddled film is good for one and only one reason: Sandler’s performance as a sad, washed-up stand-up comedian struggling to make his life right after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. It’s a really grim look at a life that Sandler might actually be able to relate to in some way or another. It makes me sad to think about, but he’s channelling something true and real in order to pull of a character like the one he plays in this film.
50 First Dates
Why is this movie so cute and heart-warming and actually funny? Is it because Sandler and his gang had nothing to do with the script or the direction? Maybe. The bottom line is this: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler are a match made in heaven (or hell, depending on how you feel about them) and this film is an absolute delight.
Happy Gilmore
This film kind of started it all, didn’t it? There was of course Billy Madison, and yeah, Sandler was on SNL, but this movie is very much the one that transformed Sandler from the D-list to at least the B-list. It’s a good concept, it has a good cast, and it has a few good jokes. What more could you ask for?
Big Daddy
You could say the same thing about this Sandler movie co-starring the Sprouse twins. (Yes, those Sprouse twins.) It’s cute, it’s breezy, it’s light. There’s nothing substantial about it, sure, but it’s a fun watch and practically a staple of the 90s at this point.
Hotel Transylvania
Sandler’s first animated movie geared toward families (remember Eight Crazy Nights?), Hotel Transylvania is actually a pretty funny movie. Sandler plays Dracula, who happens to run a hotel for monsters, as he tries to prepare for the 118h birthday of his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez). Fart jokes, burp jokes, gross-out gags, they all have a room here at Hotel Transylvania.
The Wedding Singer
This is just one of those movies you know is going to put you in a good mood any time you turn it on. The first of many Barrymore/Sandler collaborations, the two have an undeniable chemistry on-screen and bring their all for their respective roles. It’s cute.
Click
Who hasn’t thought about what they’d do if given the opportunity to have a universal remote that remote controls your universe? That’s the reality for Sandler’s work-obsessed character, but making drastic changes to the universe like that comes with some dire consequences. It’s a little hokey at times, but the overall experience could be a lot worse (would you rather watch I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry? or Jack and Jill?).
The Waterboy
Almost as refreshing and light as an actual glass of water. This one is stupid, for sure, but it’s the kind of stupid fun you can only find at the back end of an SNL episode. It’s so stupid you have to laugh. (Well, you don’t have to, but you should. You’ll feel better.)
