Korean Job Discussion Forums

[yawarakaijin]

[greedy_bones]

[BreakfastInBed]

I can forgive Sandler quite a bit for the gift that was Happy Gilmore. That's the only one of 'his' movies that is an unqualified success and holds up. Of course Punch Drunk Love goes without saying, but that doesn't count because it isn't what people usually mean by 'an Adam Sandler movie.'

What they have in common is they both find interesting, entertaining ways to exploit his great talent, his ability to play soft meek mild gentle and couple it with out of control angry convincingly in the same character. It's like his characters live their lives in luke-warm showers, but periodically the toilet is flushed and the water goes scalding hot for a moment, then rapidly returns to cooler emotional temperature. For a man of simple tastes these cold-hot outbursts can be uproariously funny and no one does it better in comedy.

He's made me laugh in everything I've seen him in but most of his movies are garbage, occasionally average. The two exceptions exist because his strengths as a performer are not incidental to the material but organic with it and used in inspired ways. The Waterboy fails because it's a retread of Happy Gilmore in some respects and because the character is an unendearing idiot with a ridiculous accent who exists only to be laughed at. I actually like Happy Gilmore as a character and believe his outbursts, with the Waterboy it's all gimmick. Anger Management is ok but too unoriginal and obvious. Let's not even talk about schlock like Big Daddy and Little Nicky.

I just saw Click a few weeks ago. Not a terrific film but servicable. It successfully tugged the heartstrings a little and Sandler showed promise as an actor capable of handling adult emotions while still able to ham it up. Listen to Chris Rock talk about him sometime. Everyone loves Chris Rock, and for good reason. Listen to the respect he gives Sandler, for his work ethic and his talent. Adam Sandler will be around for a long time and I think he'll surprise us all one day.

[Greekfreak]

I can't believe anybody finds Ben Stiller funny--his only good movie was There's Something About Mary, and he played the straight man. I did enjoy Keeping The Faith, but not because of him.

Sandler's oeuvre has been mined exhaustively, hence his forays into 'serious' drama, which is and will always be a mistake. Bill Murray could pull it off later on in his career, and Steve Martin to a certain extent, but it's hard to buy most funnymen as serious actors.

Happy Gilmore was great. The Waterboy was irritating, and I never saw Little Nicky. The minute bit of acting he did in The Wedding Singer is about as serious as he should ever attempt.

[cruisemonkey]

Adam Sandler was NEVER funny!

I always wanted to punch him in the nose and kick him in the groin.

[Rteacher]

He's naturally pretty funny, and he's been clever enough to have written and/or produced some of them, including Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Anger Management, and You Don't Mess With the Zohan.

I worked as a core extra (TV cameraman on the sidelines - with one close-up near the end...) on Waterboy, and Sandler (and Henry Winkler) were pretty funny on the set with ad-libs and warm-up monologues when many extras were involved.

Although hokey and campy like many of his films, I think it delivered enough humor to make it a popular hit, and variations of the same formula at least found a lucrative niche in the film market.

Although darker, raunchier, and less family-oriented than most of his films, I thought "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" had some very funny scenes (and Turturro did help a lot...)

I don't think he's as naturally funny comedian or as talented an actor as Eddy Murphy, Steve Martin, Jim Carey, Jaime Foxx, or Will Ferrell, but I think he's clever enough to produce some entertaining and funny films.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Sandler

[kcs0001]

I thought he was O.K. in the "Don't mess with the Zohan" flick.
Not great, but watchable. On a Sunday when you swear never to drink again and adopt a healthy lifestyle in Korea.

[sarbonn]

Adam Sandler was funny for 5 minute bits while on SNL, but that's it. I couldn't stand seeing him in movies.

As for Jack Black, which someone mentioned in this thread, I wasn't much of a fan. However, I have to say that I was impressed with him in Tropic Thunder, and then he surprised the crap out of me by taking a real chance by being on The Office last week. I mean, he wasn't even really on the show, but he was in a movie they were watching on the show, and his part was comic greatness with his "affair" with Cloris Leachman. Jessica Alba was also in the fake movie, but she was such an unimportant part of that, and it was definitely Jack Black fueling that comedy bit throughout the episode.

[RobertX]

done some crap movies, done some funny movies

[Tiger Beer]

[RJjr]

I like Sandler a lot better than Jim Carrey, but he's still not really funny. Martin Lawrence always has me laughing my ass off and is my all-time favorite comedian. Donald "D.C." Curry on Black Entertainment Television's Comic View was really good when he was hosting it.

My favorite Sandler movie was "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry." I laughed a lot during that one.