Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Happy Gilmore
There was once a time when Adam Sandler was considered to be very funny. In my humble opinion there is no finer display of this then in Happy Gilmore and in Billy Madison. These two particular films really showcased that Adam Sandler could in fact carry an entire film and that his star power would resonate with audiences for years to come. What Happy Gilmore reminded about Adam Sandler is that he was at one point not afraid to put his characters in ridiculous situation, act immature, and in many ways come off as completely wacky people. This film gave us the infamous fight between Bob Parker and Adam Sandler. A scene that has become a classic moment in comedy. Carl Weathers has a great turn as Happy's instructor. One may forget that Ben Stiller takes a small but exceptionally funny role as the head of a nursing home who forces the residents there to make bootleg merchandise that he sells on the side. This film will never win a major award, it has been panned by most film critics and yet this film is exceptionally well known and beloved by a wide array of people. It reminds us that not every film needs to take itself so serious and that movies can be light, fun and enjoyable. Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore remain two of my favorite movies of all time.
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Growing up with Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live, and his earlier movies, I was a huge fan. As he has gotten older and had kids, his movies have grown up with him but not in the way Jim Carrey's did ( The number 23, Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind)
ReplyDeleteAdam Sandler made movies that were for families and kids more than his early stuff. I'm a bigger fan of the early stuff but I get why he changed. He has had done some dramas as well but they deal with family and being a stand up comedian. Things he knows, "Spanglish" was a cute little family movie.
"Funny People" was a hard hitting real life story. I really enjoyed it and it was a deepest role I have seen Adam Sandler play. It's a must see if you haven't already.
-John
Well he made Little Nicky, Big Daddy, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry so he has not only made movies for families. I would also argue that he has taken roles because of the paycheck. Which is something that many people in Hollywood including myself if I was lucky enough would do. So I do not fault him for the movie roles from a financial standpoint but I do think that he wasted a lot of comedic talent with his choice of roles. I thought that his most impressive role was actually in Punch Drunk Love where his character really explores his issues of anger. However, the movie is not the best. Spanglish I agree with you on and I think that people were overly critical of it. I have not seen Funny People and will see it now thanks to your recommendation. I think you are spot on with Jim Carey. He has made plenty of terrible films as well however, he has taken challenging roles and has a much better overall body of work then Sandler does. John you are quickly becoming one of my favorite students as your blog posts are interesting, informative, and well done.
ReplyDeleteProfessor Giordano
Although I do like Adam Sandler's earlier work I've grown to love stuff he has done recently. I love "Just Go With It" and "Grown Ups". And even though I do like his new work my all time favorite Adam Sandler movie will continue to be "The Wedding Singer". A movie that was completely the opposite of comedy that I believe he played really well in was "Reign Over Me". I cried because of the movie and not because I was laughing but it went to a dark place and I have never seen Adam Sandler more serious. Not all of his new work is great however I would love to burn the movie "Jack and Jill" because it serves no purpose to mankind and is no way a helpful film to add underneath Sandeler's belt.
ReplyDelete-Victoria V.
That's a good point Victoria, I completely forgot about "Reign Over Me." That movie was awesome and gave you a look at a side of the victims of 9/11 that we never really see. We all know that they got money from the airlines and as a society we kinda think this has made it better, but money can't fix everything and that film really shows it. The problems of the people left behind to deal with the PTSD and survivors guilt.
ReplyDeleteThe only other thing that really deals with this subject is the show "Rescue Me" if you haven't seen it, it's worth a look. I really loved it.
-John