Gems vs. Duds: 5 Defining Moments in Adam Sandler’s Career

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Early on, I mentioned that Uncut Gems might be Sandler’s definitive cinematic statement so far – and while that may be true, I will forever hold his performance in P. T. Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love closest to my heart. The film, ostensibly a love story, is flawless in every single way, an inhalation of cotton-candy air, a thrillingly minimalist character study, and a razor-sharp dissection of our society. The director reigned in Sandler’s impulses – or molded them, reshaped them into a recognizable entity with a penchant for violent outbursts. The film signified an important shift in Sandler’s career trajectory, which led to more “serious” (albeit lesser) fare, such as James L. Brooks’ Spanglish, Mike Binder’s Reign Over Me, Judd Apatow’s Funny People, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children, Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories and, yes, Safdie’s Gems. But it was P-DL, wherein Sandler held his own opposite the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Watson – that made critics take note: Hey, this guy can act!

“…film signified an important shift in Sandler’s career trajectory, which led to more ‘serious’ fare…”

Netflix Deal (2014 – present)

After a string of misfires (Jack and Jill, That’s My Boy, The Cobbler, Pixels) and commercial successes that were clearly more fun to film than to experience (Grown Ups and its sequel, Just Go with It, Blended), Sandler signed a four-movie deal with Netflix in 2014 (which was extended in 2017 for another four films). A smart move to integrate himself into the #1 streaming service and ensure his brand lives on, sure. Unfortunately, this also led to even more duds: The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of, and, to a lesser degree, Murder Mystery. Those films seem desperate to replicate the child-like innocence that went a long way in counterbalancing the vulgarity in the Sandman’s earlier efforts. Times change, the actors grow older and wiser, and the sight of a darkened-face Schneider being shat on by a donkey isn’t necessarily something to which we need to be subjected. Thank God for Sandler’s disarming stand-up, 100% Fresh, which was partly concocted as a retort to the critical hate (its title a reference to Sandler’s abysmal Tomatoscore rating), and consequently received a nearly flawless score on Rotten Tomatoes. All together now: “My Uber driver smells bad…”

Now that Uncut Gems has garnered all that critical acclaim, where is Sandler’s career going next? The man is certainly busy, with a dozen titles in development. Most likely, it will be a mix of predominantly dumb comedies to appease his core demographic, intermittently peppered with some “serious” fare to win back those pesky critics. Whether you hate him or love him, there’s no denying that there’s only one Sandman.