The Best and Worst of Adam Sandler

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Hotel Transylvania 2" star Adam Sandler.

Film starring Adam Sandler that I've seen:
Coneheads
Billy Madison
Bulletproof
Happy Gilmore
The Waterboy
The Wedding Singer
Big Daddy
Little Nicky
Mr. Deeds
Eight Crazy Nights
50 First Dates
Anger Management
The Longest Yard
Click
Reign Over Me
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Funny People
Grown Ups
Just Go with It
Zookeeper
Jack & Jill
That's My Boy
Hotel Transylvania
Grown Ups 2
Blended

Best Performance: Reign Over Me (2007)
It's largely glossed over because of the bad reputation he's acquired after years of putting out poorly-received comedies, but Sandler is a seriously great dramatic actor. The strongest example of his rarely-used acting abilities came in Reign Over Me, where he plays a New York-based widower who lost his entire family on 9/11 and has spent the five years after the tragedy pretending his past life didn't exist in an attempt to numb the deep pain of his losses. The scene where his character finally opens up to his former college roommate and best friend (Don Cheadle) about the day where his wife and two daughters passed away is absolutely devastating. With the approach director Mike Binder took to this scene, it could've very well been overly melodramatic and disingenuous, but Sandler's powerful and deeply human performance make the scene deeply emotional and completely unforgettable.

Worst Performance: Jack & Jill (2011)
As someone who grew up with and has found a lot of joy in the films of Adam Sandler, I find it hard to severely criticize his work. He's starred in his fair share of clunkers over the years, but even in his lesser works, he tends to be at the very least passable in whatever role he's given. His performance as twin brother and sister in the 2011 family comedy Jack & Jill is the rare exception. Sandler is so god damn obnoxious (especially as Jill) in this movie that I strongly considered ripping my eyes and ears off while I was watching it. It boggles the mind how an actor that is so consistently likable could manage to play a set of characters that are so annoying and vile.

Best Film: Happy Gilmore (1996)
This pick was a no-brainer. Sandler's early filmography is full of laugh-out-loud comedies (Billy Madison, The Waterboy, Big Daddy), but for me, Happy Gilmore is easily his finest achievement. The characters are memorable, the film is quotable as hell and most importantly, the film's hilarity only increases on subsequent viewings. Happy Gilmore has been one of my all-time favorite comedies since I was a kid and I don't see that ever not being the case.  

Worst Film: Jack & Jill (2011)
Whether or not you're a fan of his work, there's no denying that Sandler's name is pretty synonymous with crap movies. Hell, at least a quarter of the projects he's released in the past decade have ranged from below-average to cinematic abominations. Jack & Jill falls in the latter camp. This is a film so tasteless and moronic that it makes both Grown Ups movies look like high art. Everyone involved with this project should be embarrassed and I really wish that the Neuralyzer from Men in Black was real so I could permanently erase this disasterpiece from my memory.  

 Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "The Martian" star Matt Damon.