Why I can't stand Adam Sandler (Part 2)

It all started one day when someone recommended the movie 'dad of format' to me. Back then, I didn't even know who Adam Sandler was.

So, I head over to the local video rental store, and there it is among the new releases—that aforementioned flick starring Adam Sandler.
At that point, I might have known who Adam Sandler was if someone had actually described him to me (I hadn't connected the name to the face yet), but I had no clue that Adam Sandler writes and produces all these ridiculous movies of his.

Anyway, I grabbed the movie. Watched it.

And honestly? The movie was actually good. It had been a long time since I'd seen a comedy that hit the mark like that. Right after I finished it, a friend shows up with his girlfriend and goes, "Oh, you've got that movie? Let's watch it." When I said it was good, I meant I enjoyed it so much I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time immediately.

Now, your average IMF official probably feels cheated. They think I actually worship Mr. Adam Sandler and that I lured them into this thread just to read a fanboy tribute.

Not so fast, Akarumba!

The problems started right after that movie. As I kept working my way through the video store shelves, the next Adam Sandler movie landed in my hands. Let me be clear: I didn't suddenly become an Adam Sandler superfan waiting like a lunatic for his next release. Maybe I just picked it up thinking, "Hey, isn't this the funny guy from that other funny movie?" Maybe I'm just embarrassed to admit I thought that.

The movie was called... The Water Carrier.

In it, Adam Sandler plays this total moron who works as the water carrier for some college football team. Then, he accidentally discovers he’s a massive football prodigy. He ends up in a relationship with some cheerleader at the end.

The movie is absolute garbage. And why does the character have to be so brainless? I have no idea. It's completely unnecessary. (Some people will claim Adam Sandler is just naturally dim, so he can't act any differently).

After that, I watched 'Little Nicky'. Or something like that. Basically, Adam Sandler plays the son of the devil who has to come to Earth to find his brother, who wants to take over hell. This brother hit Adam Sandler with a shovel when he was a kid, which left his mouth crooked (not the brother, but Adam Sandler himself). On top of that, Adam Sandler spends the whole movie using this whiny, nasal voice that is just... incredibly annoying. It drives you crazy.
And then you're supposed to expect that he'll magically recover by the end of the film, start speaking normally, and that having such a stupid mouth will somehow serve the story. But no. He just spends the entire movie with a crooked mouth and that grating voice. (Some will argue Adam Sandler already has a crooked mouth and a nasal voice, so he can't act any different).

Then yesterday, I sat through his latest one—I think it's called 'Jackpot' or something, where he inherits 40 billion dollars. In this one, he has a leg that got frostbitten while he was hiking or out in the snow or whatever. Anyway, this leg is pitch black and he can't feel anything in it. That Leg pops up in two scenes. In one, he explains to his servant why his leg is black and makes the servant hit it with a hot coal just to prove he doesn't feel pain. In the second scene, he saves Winona Ryder from a frozen lake. She falls in, the ice cracks around her, and then he takes off his shoe (?) to break the ice, sticks his foot in the water to grab her, and pulls her out.

It's just too much. Way too much. He could have broken the ice with his shoe. There was no need to show that Leg. That Leg is absolutely pointless throughout the entire film. Unnecessary. Irrelevant to the plot. It isn't funny. It's just gross. But of course, it just HAD to be in his movie. (Some will say Adam Sandler already has a leg like that, so he can't act any different).

Bottom line: Adam Sandler has to play some kind of idiot, a moron, or something similar in every single movie. It doesn't matter if it gets on your nerves. He has to do it. It doesn't matter if it's unnecessary. He has to do it.
Now, someone might ask: when is it actually necessary for a character to be an idiot? Well, look at Rain Man—Dustin Hoffman's character has to be autistic because the entire movie is built on that premise.

Adam Sandler's movies aren't built on that.

That’s exactly why I can't stand A. S. He just constantly pushes himself on everyone like an absolute idiot. (Some people might argue...)

I honestly thought Happy Gilmore was such an incredible movie, from the opening credits right through to the very last scene. And man, Adam Sandler was just brilliant in it. Alongside Ben Stiller, he was one of those rare actors who actually knew how to pull off that genuine, heated anger perfectly. Unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned, that was the peak of his career. Ever since that film, it feels like he’s just been churning out one dud after another. I really have no interest in sitting through this new one about some wealthy guy; it feels like such a waste of his talent. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I’m on the exact same page as the person who started this thread.
"dad of format" was actually... decent enough.
But everything after that? It’s just a complete waste of talent. Look, the guy isn't stupid, but why does he always have to play some dim-witted idiot? It’s the kind of low-brow humor that wouldn't even fly with a five-year-old.

I thought I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry was great. That song was absolutely iconic. Every time I watch it, I lose it laughing whenever that track comes on. I tried to find a way to download it online, but no luck. His other movies are hit or miss—some are just more annoying than others.

There is this one movie—more of a serious drama than a comedy, really—called Punch-Drunk Love. It was directed by the same guy behind Magnolia, and honestly, it’s quite intense. The film is excellent, and Adam Sandler delivers a powerhouse performance; it feels as if the role was tailor-made for him. Perhaps it actually was. 🤷

After watching that, I genuinely thought Sandler would start pivoting toward more serious roles more frequently. But I suppose I was mistaken. That misconception lingered for about five years until Reign Over Me came out. I enjoyed that film, and Sandler was solid in it too.

Then there is his recent work, Funny People. Sandler was fine, I guess, but nothing extraordinary. At first glance, I would have said he is capable of much better than that, but... I am not entirely certain.

I suppose we will just have to wait and see what the future holds.

Personally, I think I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Click are actually great movies. I’ve always been a fan of Adam Sandler, too. As for Water Carrier, you could probably argue that it's just an extreme mockery of American football, high school culture, cheerleaders, and all that other nonsense.

crimsontrucker4 said:Personally, I think I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Click are actually great movies.

Look, it’s not that I don't appreciate funny people. I really do.
But if someone were attacking Adam Sandler and claiming he isn't a decent actor, they wouldn't use "funny people" as some kind of logical counter-argument.

I think Happy Gilmore is actually a solid movie...

That kid stuff is just a disaster, like Bedtime Stories—saw that one in theaters back when I was visiting the USA...

I can’t even bring myself to start reading this essay because 👍
Adam Sandler, Jason Biggs, and Ben Stiller. Honestly, I can't stand that trio. In every single movie they're in, they play these obnoxious, dim-witted, irritating characters that people somehow find hilarious. It drives me crazy. It gets to the point where even if someone made a decent movie starring them—and that's just my take, since I generally can't stand typical American slapstick comedies like Pie, Zoolander, or whatever else—I still wouldn't watch it, simply because Adam Sandler, Jason Biggs, and Ben Stiller are in the cast. ☕

Sandler is terrible—I avoid his comedies at all costs. Easily the least talented comedian working today...

Biggs is straight-up bottom of the barrel, Sandler is mostly a skip for me, but Stiller? He’s usually alright... 🤷

Excuse me? You don't like the Water Carrier?
Honestly, I think you guys just have zero sense of humor... I don't even see the point in arguing about this anymore.

Honestly, I found Zoolander to be such a mindless movie. It’s actually one of the only two films I couldn't even sit through until the end.

I’d say Adam Sandler is just mediocre at best. The only movie of his I could actually sit through more than once was Anger Management. Most of his roles just feel like the same tired formula over and over again.

But then again, I can't imagine Ben Stiller 🙂

Anger Management is actually a pretty decent little comedy... I always loved that scene where they’re in the car singing that song from West Side Story. It's good.

It’s the exact same vibe you get with Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents.

Anger Management is an excellent movie in my book too, though not necessarily because of him.

It’s basically that tired old tradition in comedies and sitcoms where they assume we’re all supposed to find human stupidity charming, like we’re just meant to laugh at these idiots and somehow end up loving them because they're harmless fools.

As far as I can tell, that whole concept hit its peak with Friends and then basically went into overdrive with Will and Grace.

Personally, I never really got the appeal. 🤷 To be honest, the whole thing actually kind of creeps me out. 😢

Lisa Miller9 said:I guess I'm having a little trouble getting through the essay at the beginning, but maybe it will get better. 👍
I honestly can't stand that trio—Adam Sandler, Jason Biggs, and Ben Stiller. It feels like they always play these incredibly annoying, dim-witted characters that, for some reason, everyone seems to love. They just get on my nerves. Even if a movie actually looked decent, I probably wouldn't watch it simply because they're in it. I guess I’m just not a huge fan of those typical American comedies like Pie or Zoolander, but having them involved is definitely a dealbreaker for me. ☕

I guess I wouldn't put Ben Stiller in the same category as the other two, since he seems like a much more talented actor and writer to me. I don't really find Adam Sandler interesting on screen at all, and I honestly can't figure out how he makes so much money. In most of his movies, he just plays these dim-witted characters that stop being funny after maybe ten minutes. Stiller at least made films like Say Anything... and Marriage License, which I thought were great. I also think Zoolander and Tropic Thunder are excellent, even if they aren't everyone's cup of tea. As for Jason Biggs, he feels like a pretty minor figure to me; he has that one movie and that commercial for AMC Theatres, but he seems like a bit of a one-trick pony.

Daniel Booth37 said:Honestly, he plays some pretty mindless idiots in almost all his movies.

Spot on.

I don't know, I think Joe Biden is fine. But honestly, they all start to run together after a while.
So, who actually counts as a top-tier comedian in your eyes? 😕