The Unexpected Promise of Sad Adam Sandler
What Adam Sandler’s Chris Farley Tribute Could Mean For His Movie Career
(Or, “Appealing a Cultural Ruling on Adam Sandler on the Basis of Sentimentality”)
Adam Sandler’s stint as SNL host this past Saturday — his first time hosting since he was fired from the cast 24 years ago — was widely well-received all around, but the most talked about moment has been his tribute song to Chris Farley.
Having been clipped out and posted to YouTube within minutes after the end of the show, Sandler’s Farley song has been viewed over 3.6 million times. Moreover, a video of Sandler performing the song in his Netflix special 100% Fresh (where the song originated), has garnered an additional 4.7 million views since it was posted last December (on the 22-year mark of Farley’s death). Stats aside, the song has been praised by critics since the release of 100% Fresh back in October.
It has become cool to write off Adam Sandler these days, but between his starring turn in Noah Baumbach’s Netflix dramedy The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), his unexpectedly great Netflix special, and his Farley song, it almost seems as if he’s on the cusp of a renaissance — and when you take into account his overlooked, more dramatic work, it’s well deserved.
A big part of why people loved his Farley tribute was the rarity of seeing Sandler sentimental. It was popular because Farley is beloved & missed, sure — but viewers also saw it as touching — which, roughly translated, often means “I forgot/had never realized Adam Sandler is capable of emotion, and compelling emotion at that.”
One reason people forget this is because he doesn’t showcase this sentimental side of himself much — which is perhaps because, cyclically, it has been hit or miss for him in the past. While Punch Drunk Love and Funny People are remembered more a bit, his most dramatic transition is almost never mentioned, Reign Over Me.
His latest dramatic output, The Meyerowitz Stories, has a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and led a New York Times review headline to declare that “Adam Sandler is a revelation” in the film.
Of Sandler’s dramatic work, Reign Over Me writer/director Mike Binder told Maron on his WTF podcast, “He was really good in all those kind of movies, but because none of them were big box office hits, he kind of turned back” to his comedy films, but that he has the talent to be a Tom Hanks.
Acting and real-life expression is different, of course, but here’s to hoping that this week’s viral success and widespread fan acceptance of Sentimental Sandler will encourage him to branch out and put his dramatic side to use again. I think we’d all be better for it.
It’s also worth noting the first movie I ever cried during was Big Daddy, age 7. That’s not quite one of his dramatic movies, but it’s kind of a reminder of what dramatic elements have lent to some of his more well-liked comedies in the past — and is, more importantly, just my favorite fun fact about myself regardless.
