Love him or hate him, he is still a consistent player in the film market.
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I think when it comes to Adam Sandler, most people seem to either love him or hate him. As misdirected and mundane comedies as many of his films are, it´s a wonder that Sandler has managed to stay in the business all these years. Regardless of how the industry works, I find his material ordinary in the realm of comedy, but I am one of those people who easily laugh at subtle slapstick and potty humor. Sandler certainly creates some oddball characters in his films, but as far as having a story with a unique formula, Sandler sticks to the ordinary path that we´ve seen in comedies for years. Do I feel he makes films that make me laugh? Yes; however, I don´t feel Sandler will go down in the hall of fame for making any film classics...at least not yet.
I´ve always pictured Adam Sandler movies as the kind of films you watch with your best BBQ-an-beer-drinking buddies. They are the kind of films that appeal to your friends who don´t see a whole lot of films every year, yet they like their films to be simple and void of any reality. I know the friends I have that love Adam Sandler films all live in either a trailer or mobile home...irony, perhaps. Nevertheless, Adam Sandler has a captive audience that has embraced him for the handful of simple minded pieces of drivel he has mustered up since 1995 and his departure from SNL. On the other hand, they have punched him below the belt for the rubbish he has produced, too. Another way to look at it is, Adam gets no respect but manages to stay consistent in getting movie studios to make his films. And, in the end, he manages to give us recycled material that makes for a good stew but is not quite on par for a main course.
Universal has now blessed us with a special-edition DVD release of Adam Sandler´s "Billy Madison" (1995) and "Happy Gilmore" (1996). Both films are Sandler´s first two major film releases back at the start of his filmmaking career. Fresh out of SNL, it´s interesting to see how Sandler handled his first two projects away from television. As you can imagine, both films are chalkful vulgarity, potty humor, a touch of slapstick and just more of what Sandler was like on SNL.
"Billy Madison":
In "Billy Madison," Sandler plays a twenty-seven-year-old who still lives with his very wealthy father, Brian Madison (Daren McGavin), in a mansion big enough to declare it as a state. Billy is a childish, spoiled adult who still acts as if he´s in high school and spends his days at home drinking beer and chasing imaginary penguins.
Billy is challenged with taking over his father´s business one day, and he needs to so his father will not hand it over to the devious Bradley Whitford (Eric Gordon). In a desperate attempt to win over his father, he bets him that he can return to school and pass every grade level two weeks at a time. If he finishes on time and passes every grade level, then he gets to run the family business. Sounds easy enough for most people, but for Billy it´s like lying on a bed of nails. Not to mention, Bradley Whitford has a few blemishes planned for his journey back to school.
Along the way, Billy falls for his third-grade teacher, Miss Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson). At first, Miss Vaughn does not think kindly of Billy. She would much rather see him removed from the school. This, of course, sparks the love chemistry in the film as we watch their relationship melding into romance. It´s a scenario we´ve seen time and time again in this genre of film, but Sandler does manage to find ways to make it a little more exaggerated than can be expected.
Overall, the movie has a simplistic plot, however unbelievable it may be. It´s loaded with vulgar language, potty humor, and plenty of laugh-out-loud scenarios. On the down side, the film, in my opinion, is one of his weaker vehicles. I think the idea was charming but it posed no real value that made it believable. And that´s the thing about most Sandler movies--you really have to suspend reality. This is usually the fine line that can divide an individual´s sophistication in comedy. Some prefer it more subtle, with a longer build up to something outrageously funny. Others like their comedy more slapstick, wacky, and in-your-face, which is what Sandler movies are all about.
In my assessment, and for matters of believability to be worse, I find it difficult to believe that a wealthy father would allow his twenty-seven-year-old son to end up being a childish, moronic, little loser who still acts as though he were in the tenth grade. On the other hand, I forgot to consider George W., which may make me rescind my statement. It is probably true that some rich parents will spoil their children and drive them into driveling, obtuse little fools. In effect, when you think about it, look at Nichole Richie and Paris Hilton. Need I say more?
There were undoubtedly some comical moments throughout the movie, but than there are a lot of moments that are recycled trash from comedies seen by everyone at one time or another. Sandler at least creates a strange, witty, yet over-exaggerated group of characters that are able to carry us from one laugh to the next, but it is just a sea of vanilla laughs considering there is no unique formula in the story. It´s quite obvious "Billy Madison" was meant to be a stupid yet funny film, and for the most part, it is. However, it is one of those films that if you´ve seen it once you will find little reason to revisit it again. Taken as a whole, I was laughing out loud, but I wasn´t rolling on the floor.
Entertainment Rating: 4/10
"Happy Gilmore":
This selection, "Happy Gilmore," is one of my favorites in the Sandler library. It´s unquestionably a low-budget film, it's meant to be stupid, and it's loaded with exaggerated characters, but it certainly packs a heavier punch than "Billy Madison" does. In retrospect, I was able to connect with this film because I have experience playing golf. I truly know what it´s like to carry the ire of the Scottish out on the course. However, there is a nicer side to the game of golf, and it is known as the beer-cart-lady. She´s generally quite sexy, so you forget about what hole you´re on or where your golfballs are, just as long as she makes the rounds every couple of tees.
In "Happy Gilmore" Adam Sandler plays a horrid hockey player named Happy Gilmore. He is equipped with a short temper, and when tampered with he becomes a raging bull of vulgarities and violence. His temper is part of what makes the character amusing because you never know when he´s going to lose it. There are plenty of scenes where Happy is having a tantrum on the golf course, and most of it is humorous, but again there´s that having to suspend the reality thing. In my experience, there are these guys called Club Marshals, and when someone like Happy gets out of hand, the Marshals simply kick you off of the course. So, for the most part, this is a movie that delights itself by making us think a rebellious, hot-tempered golf player is a possibility in the grander scheme of the sport. On the other hand, you could also say it´s a film that says the game of golf is too dull to watch, and it could use an obnoxious player to give it that spark of life it so desperately needs.
At the start of the film, the IRS confiscates everything from his dear-old Grandma Gilmore´s (Frances Bay) house, a house she has lived in since Happy was a child. Happy sees his grandfather´s old golf clubs as movers confiscate items throughout the entire home. He takes a bet with two of the collection guys on whether he can even hit a golf ball. To everyone´s surprise, Happy can hit a whopping 400-yards. This leads Happy into having people pay him money to watch him drive balls at the driving range. It is there he meets his instructor, Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers). Chubbs was a PGA champion until he had his hand bitten off by an alligator. Chubbs now has a wooden hand, and it takes plenty of abuse throughout the film.
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