Age of The Nerd
Believe it or not, there was a time when Adam Sandler’s popularity was at a high. That may seem incredulous today, but somewhere from the mid 1990’s to the early 2000’s Sandler was a leading man in cinematic comedy. As the world and it’s desires changed in terms of what it found comical, the Brooklyn born actor was eventually faced with the sad reality of heading into straight-to-DVD territory.
We’re going to check out 5 of some of the best comedy flicks that Adam Sandler will, no doubt, be proud to have forever on his resume in his reign at the top that spanned over a decade.
Sandler’s public acceptance would not long begin to dwindle after making this movie. That is sad because this is one of his more narratively creative ones. 50 First Dates has a lot of heart to boot. Drew Barrymore and Adam once again show they have a lot of chemistry when working together and this is the type of picture where you ache for a romantic and cheesy happy ending. You will be surprised but satisfied at the same time after all the laughter and the tears. (Editors note: To be fair we also have an article placing this movie on a different top 5 for Mr. Sandler.)
A satirical take on the 1980’s, Sandler plays Robbie Hart, a wedding singer who falls for a waitress by the name of Julia. After Robbie’s own wedding plans collapse Julia helps him through it, and Robbie begins to fall for her even though she is set to marry the wealthy but brash Glenn Guglia. Can he change her mind? You will have to watch it to find out.
The Wedding Singer does not contain nearly as many juvenile moments that are in his earlier movies such as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, although there are still enough to remind you what you are watching.
Equipped with an excellent nostalgic 1980’s soundtrack and unforgettable references to accompany the going on’s, you cannot really go wrong with early Sandler.
Normally I do not go for this type of pantomime. Sometimes certain scenes tend to appear to try and force the laughs, but maybe that is just how this type of adolescent comedy wanted to intentionally play out. Still, Billy Madison was a success at the box office and there is a stark contrast between this and the sort of comedy that Sandler shot for in his later years and at time of writing.
Billy Madison contains several humorous gems along the way and was not afraid to stretch it’s PG-13 rating to it’s limit in a movie about a man-child who is forced to go back to school and sit with other children to get good grades. As you can expect, things take a turn for the weird, rude and preposterous!
It was quite rare for Adam Sandler to make a comedy movie that centred around a mature and grounded theme. Big Daddy is an atypical example. His character, Sonny, has an unexciting life and ends up adopting a little boy to impress his ex-girlfriend who left him to find a brighter future. But as you can expect, things get a little complicated when Sonny finds out just how difficult looking after a child can be.
The flick probably will not attract the same audience who loved Billy Madison due to the change in slapstick, but you will enjoy it if you are an Adam Sandler fan and love movies that deal with real life issues even if the whole thing is formulaic. Still, many pictures are and that does not necessarily always take away from their enjoyment.
Made not long after Billy Madison, the now 51 year old thespian plays Gilmore, a hockey player who competes in the P.G.A. golf tour to win enough money to save his grandmother’s house from repossession. But there is just one problem! Gilmore has a rather nasty angry streak. This makes for a golf tournament that is unusually charismatic, controversial and different, to say the least!
Happy Gilmore contains much more violence than as is usual for an Adam Sandler picture, but thankfully most of those scenes are executed comedically. A character that you probably will despise in the beginning, Gilmore slowly earns the viewer’s admiration and respect as he battles his own issues, not only for himself but for those closest to him.
This is highly thought to be one of Adam Sandler’s best. And it is hard to disagree.
