It’s fair to say Adam Sandler’s film career hasn’t exactly been a glittering Smörgåsbord of critically acclaimed masterpieces.
As much as we all enjoyed sniggering at Little Nicky and Billy Madison as teens, the reviewer response to such crude offerings has been less than reverential. And this is before we even begin to discuss the Razzie-decorated Jack and Jill.
However, despite his reputation for churning out nonsensically-written gross-out gag-fests, Adam Sandler, 53, is a genuinely talented actor; capable of delivering both comedic and dramatic performances – just look at 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love.
Indeed, in more recent years critics have been left astounded by Sandler’s abilities to bring nuance and depth to his characters, without resorting to chucking cats out of burning buildings or going back to kindergarten.
With 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) and 2019’s Uncut Gems, Sandler proved he could hold his own when acting alongside the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.
With Uncut Gems, Sandler was able to demonstrate the full weight of his thespian talents, giving what is widely regarded to be the best performance of his career. Although – admittedly – I do like him in Big Daddy.
Now Sandler has threatened to punish people by making a film ‘so bad on purpose’ if his portrayal of debt-ridden jewellery store owner Howard Ratner fails to earn him an Oscar.
Sandler made these amusingly self-aware comments during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, one day after he was bested by Adam Driver in the Gotham Awards Best Actor category.
Speaking with Stern, Sandler joked about how ‘shocking’ it was that his latest film was being so highly praised, remarking it would be a ‘funny big thing’ if he ended up being nominated for an Oscar.
Joking about the – not all that wild – possibility, Sandler said he would retaliate in the most Adam Sandler way imaginable:
If I don’t get it, I’m going to f*cking come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay.
[…] That’s how I get them.
You can check out Sandler’s interview here:
Uncut Gems currently holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 61 reviews.
Sandler’s recent rise to lauded lovey just goes to show it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Even if you once filmed a scene where you turn Diet Coke into Pepsi with your mind.
Uncut Gems is released December 25 2019 in the US, and can be seen in select UK cinemas and on Netflix from January 2020.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.