I want to begin this piece with a disclaimer. I have been, and always will be, an Adam Sandler truther. I’ve seen every piece of onscreen work he has been a part of, from his minor character work on “The Cosby Show,” all the way up to his direct-to-DVD quality Netflix comedies. I own a replica jersey of Sandler’s character Paul Crewe from the football movie, “The Longest Yard,” and have seen his superbly named 2018 stand-up special “100% Fresh” at least ten times. In fact, as I write this, I have Sandler’s Christmas-substitute song, “The Chanukah Song,” playing in the background.
Despite all of the blind loyalty I have for “The Sandman,” I can also acknowledge that he hasn’t always produced Oscar-caliber films. Movies like “Little Nicky,” “Grown Ups 2” and his most recent film, “Murder Mystery,” are all mostly uninspired comedies, but still have a hint of that smarmy, frat boy humor that makes Sandler so funny.
And Adam Sandler is extremely funny. Except when he’s not.
This week saw the release of the first trailer for Sandler’s latest project, “Uncut Gems,” and it is already generating Oscar buzz. Yes, you heard that right. Adam Sandler, a man whose most strenuous acting role in most people’s eyes is playing both him and his twin sister in “Jack and Jill,” is conjuring up award season performances.
For most people, including my girlfriend, who is probably just still upset that I made her watch “The Week Of” with me on our one-year anniversary, the idea of Adam Sandler winning an Oscar is funnier than the last five movies he made for Netflix. But this isn’t the first time Sandler has turned in a truly emotional performance. He’s been doing it his whole career.
In 2002, Sandler starred in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s poignant and gorgeous “Punch-Drunk Love.” In it, Sandler doesn’t play his typical man-child vying for the attention of some out of his league starlet through fart jokes and funny voices character. Instead, he plays Barry Egan, a troubled character who deals with mental illness while struggling to protect himself and a new love interest from a group of blackmailers.
The movie is powerful and attention-grabbing, and Sandler harnesses the angry energy he usually projects onto whatever character Rob Schneider plays and instead pours it into his surroundings. This paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to struggle with an anxiety disorder, especially when no one is around to support you. Anderson’s framing of the character and Sandler’s performance make “Punch-Drunk Love” the perfect introduction to a more serious Sandler.
Sandler’s dramatic follow-up came in 2004’s “Spanglish,” a movie about a dysfunctional family and their interwoven relationship with their live-in housekeeper. Once again, Sandler trades in his tackling fuel for an honest portrayal of a laid-back husband in a failing marriage. Sandler is raw, sympathetic and proves that he has evolved from Canteen Boy to a real, bonafide actor.
Then he made “Click.”
That seems to be the trajectory of Adam Sandler’s career. He makes a broad comedy that puts him as the slightly likable guy who finally develops a conscience, and it bombs. Then he makes a touching drama that proves his true range as an actor, which isolates his broader audience, but brings praise from critics. Then he returns to the comedy genre with a romantic comedy starring an Aniston/Barrymore type, and the audience eats it up. Then the cycle repeats itself.
In 2007, Sandler starred with Don Cheadle in “Reign Over Me,” a film in which Sandler plays a doctor who loses his family during 9/11 and is still struggling with the loss five years later. The movie is an emotional affair but does lack the sense of sincerity found in most of Sandler’s other dramatic projects.
In 2009, Sandler portrays what is perhaps his ultimate dramatic role. “Funny People” is the story of a comedian who is diagnosed with cancer and goes out on a stand-up tour that doubles as an attempt to fix the relationships in his life.
Written and directed by Sandler’s old roommate, Judd Apatow, “Funny People” is the epitome of funny people making a film that is both distinctly not funny, and yet at other moments outright hilarious. Sandler’s George Simmons has a full character arc and provides Sandler with his most thoughtful pay-off in years.
After a five-year hiatus, Sandler returned to drama with “The Cobbler.” The story of a shoe cobbler in modern day New York City who is able transform into the people whose shoes he wears sounds like the premise to a much sillier Sandler film than what is delivered. The story is sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but Sandler shines throughout.
The most recent Sandler foray into dramatic waters is “Meyorwitz Stories (New and Selected).” Sandler is paired with his “Cobbler” co-star Dustin Hoffman to bring the story of a dysfunctional family to life, not unlike his early dramatic effort in “Spanglish.”
I could shower Sandler’s performance with praises and accolades, but the film festivals already did. Peter Debruge of Variety wrote that, “Sandler is forced to act, and it’s a glorious thing to watch.” “Meyorwitz Stories (New and Collected)” proves that Sandler is a force to be reckoned with whenever he drops the schtick.
That’s why all this early “Uncut Gems” Oscar buzz isn’t a shock to me. For the last seventeen years, Adam Sandler has been dipping his toes into award season waters, before falling back into his ways of calling up a few friends and picking vacation locales to slap together a full-length, MADTV quality comedy for 10 million a pop.
That’s the problem. Adam Sandler is the Guy Fieri of acting. Fieri has become such a meme that people forget he’s a certified chef and has a phenomenal TV show. In the same way, Sandler has become so synonymous with “Waterboy” and “Grown Ups” that people forget that “Punch-Drunk Love” is a legitimate, career-defining performance.
No matter what your opinion on Adam Sandler is, I challenge you to watch a few of these films in preparation for what I expect to be the beginning of a new leg in Sandler’s career.
Although, his upcoming Netflix film is called “Hubie Halloween” and is about a grown man being made fun of by children.
So maybe the cycle continues.