Adam Sandler Superstar

I remember the first time I witnessed the comedy stylings of Adam Sandler. It was sometimes in the mid 90's. In fact, the whole O.J. Simpson fiasco was going on, so that puts it around twenty years ago. Sandler was signing some news or something. I failed to see the slightest iota of wit in the act.

I steadfastly avoided Adam Sandler movies after that. The previews looked uniformly awful. It reached a low ebb when The Water Boy was released. I sat through the trailer on numerous occasions at the theater, and I thought that it looked like the very worst movie ever made.

Then, somewhere in the late 00 decade, I became a fan of the comedy of Judd Apatow. When I heard that Sandler was to star in Apatow's third directorial feature, I was dismayed. I knew that I had to see Funny People, and though I initially dreaded the prospect, I became increasingly excited after watching its trailer.

I am well aware that many people disliked Funny People, but I loved it. I found the movie to be funny and entertaining, but with a lot to think about as well. Funny People works on numerous levels. The acting is all superb, and Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is subtle, but exquisite. I looked on Adam Sandler with new respect after seeing it.

From there I went on to his audio releases. I have always been an enormous fan of comedy music, so I started off with his CD entitled What's Your Name? Unlike his other albums, this one is entirely composed of songs, and has no comedy skits. I loved the album, and I have since bought all the rest of Sandler's CDs.

So I started to go back and watch some of Adam Sandler's movies. Some are virtually unwatchable. Others are more interesting.

I am a big fan of Spanglish, which was written and directed by the renowned James L. Brooks. Reign Over Me is a sad, thoughtful movie. I wasn't entirely won over by Punch-Drunk Love, but I thought it was interesting.

Some are pretty awful, but I enjoyed them anyway. Such as Blended, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Longest Yard, That's My Boy, and even Grown Ups.

I have come to realize that Adam Sandler is a smart, talented guy who happens to usually make very bad movies. He has a couple of very interesting projects coming up.

The Cobbler will hopefully be coming out this year. It is being made by Thomas McCarthy, who gave us such smart films like The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win.

I'm even more excited about Men, Women & Children. This one is due in October and is directed by one of the most consistently interesting filmmakers working today: Jason Reitman. Watch this trailer and try to tell me that it does not look like a good movie:



Adam Sandler will undoubtedly return to the flatulent comedies that he is known and reviled for, and I can't blame the guy for making a paycheck. It's interesting, though, to watch him break away from his standard routine and appear in good movies.