Top 5 Adam Sandler movies that are actually tolerable

Top 5 Adam Sandler movies that are actually tolerable

Mar 09

That movie BILLY MADISON was funny and quirky when you were 14. But as we grew older and witnessed Adam Sandler revive the same character in dismal movies like LITTLE NICKY and WATERBOY, we soon realised how shallow and pointless most of his movies were becoming. They even had the same character realising the same moral just with a different poster in the lobby. Subsequently, we started to avoid his junk (didn’t we…?) which is a shame because amongst the horrid films featuring cameos from that fuckwit Rob Schneider, there were some real gems people may have overlooked purely because they saw the name Adam Sandler and expected a cheap-laugh bore-fest. These are the Top 5 Adam Sandler movies that are actually tolerable:

5. AIRHEADS (1994)

Not exactly the highest regarded movie-about-music film out there, but this hidden comedy has still got some nostalgic cred. One of those films that feels like WAYNE’S WORLD, in that everything about it had a sense of ‘cool’ at the time but soon became very, very dated (references to Aerosmith as the greatest band on Earth, for example…). Also stars Brendan Frasier before he was a Mummy catcher (but still not funny) and Steve Buscemi (aka that guy from Reservoir Dogs).

4. CLICK (2006)

While the trailer and indeed the synopsis will have you believing this is just another Sandler gimmick movie (and it is…) the moral and human fabric behind this one actually lends some class to the final output. Not only is it rewarding, there are actually some genuine laughs to back it up. Plus Sandler doesn’t ever do that stupid mongoloid voice.

3. THE LONGEST YARD (2005)

The remake of the Burt Reynolds film was smart enough to bring Burt back for a second-billing role as Coach in this straight-forward comedy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it knows what it is and it doesn’t try to be anything more, which is what makes THE LONGEST YARD tolerable. When you’re just after a giggle, don’t want anything too profound to test your thought muscles and you don’t want to see Adam Sandler playing a dipshit, this one is a safe rental.

2. REIGN OVER ME (2007)

A wonderful portrait of friendship set against the loss and angst of September 11, this was a bold role for Sandler and brave casting by director Mike Binder. Thankfully it paid of and the result is a beautiful, heart-felt film. Don Cheadle has a lot to do with that pay off – but Sandler definitely holds his own.

1. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002)

Those who followed film closely knew this flick was arriving through the mind of Paul Thomas Anderson, the Director of  BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA.  We knew it was coming from a Director capable of telling a stylized story without pulling punches or falling back on traditional styles.  It was strange to see, then, how much of a bad wrap this film received through word-of-mouth.  Seems most punters were seeking another Adam Sandler wank-fest (it came out after THE WATERBOY, BIG DADDY & LITTLE NICKY, and was the same year as MR. DEEDS).  So while (most) critics were praising the film’s bold casting of Sandler in a surprisingly serious role in which he actually delivered a character with some depth, the main audience thought they were going to see another Happy Gilmore comedy set in a love story and thus came out bored and disappointed about the lack of obvious, slapstick, braindead humor (Punch-Drunk Love, of course, has a more dry approach to its humour).  The real shame is how many people missed out on a quality film because they also thought they would be seeing Happy Gilmore in a love story… The film was caught in a catch 22 from the start.  If this is you (as is the case with a good friend of mine) I urge you to give it a chance.  It is a brilliant film and as far as Adam Sandler goes, it is definitely the most tolerable of his library.

Final note: I’d like to think that, by the end of 2009, we’ll be able to add Judd Apatow’s FUNNY PEOPLE to this list.  I’ve only just seen the trailer and it appears more than bearable.  In fact, it actually looks like it has the potential to be the funniest movie starring Adam Sandler that doesn’t rely on his horrid style of comedy.  Imagine that.