I also never once doubted Sandler, whose incisive character work here is probably the most impressive acting we have seen from him to date. We’re hurtling through the world that Howard lives and works in and it’s not patronisingly translated or sanitised for us, it’s just presented as is, and I admired how atmospheric they made it, a world I never once doubted. The film packs in so many raised voices, blaring soundtrack choices and gaudy visuals that it often feels like a rather obnoxious sensory overload but we’re never alienated because there’s a deceptive delicacy behind these excesses. It’s an intentionally stressful experience, not just because of Howard’s aggressively frustrating character but because the Safdies take pleasure in our displeasure. As in Good Time, the Safdies have plotted out a perilous obstacle course for their protagonist involving the NBA player Kevin Garnett, a rare opal from an Ethiopian mine, a soon-to-be-ex wife and The Weeknd, and despite Howard continually testing our patience, we are unavoidably invested, sighing at his every misstep, figuring out whether we want him to succeed or fail. Howard is the best, and worst, kind of antihero, caught in a trap of his own making, a way out always frustratingly in sight. But the more we get to know Howard, the less it seems like he wants to, forever inserting himself in increasingly precarious situations. He plays fast-talking jewelry dealer Howard Ratner, a man who spends his days frantically trying to make money while being followed by the men he owes money to, an exhausting lifestyle he can’t seem to escape. Sandler has an under-appreciated ability to connect with the uncomfortable aspects of his more fleshed out characters, embarrassingly so at times, and his latest, arguably greatest, delve into drama pushes this to a whole new level. There was humour in both Punch-Drunk Love and The Meyerowitz Stories but it was awkward and intimate, more likely to make one shift in their seat than guffaw. ![]() ![]() Often when comedy stars “go serious”, you can see the shadow of their funnier selves in every scene, but when taken out of his comfort zone, the Sandler we know virtually disappears. But the guy who signed a mammoth deal with Netflix “because it rhymes with wet chicks” is also the guy who chose to work with Paul Thomas Anderson and Noah Baumbach, film-makers willing to look beyond the fart jokes to see an actor who just needs to be directed.īoth roles were particularly compelling not just because they represented such a dramatic departure from the kind of movie we associate him with but also because his style of acting was suddenly so transformed. That has led many critics to dismiss him as an unserious actor, but his latest role as Stanley Sugarman in the Netflix original Hustleaffirmed his impressive acting chops, making this the perfect time to look back at, and rank, the occasions Sandler has stepped out of his comfort zone to deliver dramatic performances.I n Uncut Gems, the Safdie brothers’ anxiety-inducing follow-up to Good Time, we spend over two hours attached at the hip to Adam Sandler, a prospect that might not seem particularly thrilling. However, even the best of these films, though funny, don’t showcase much depth and emotional range from Sandler. These roles have largely defined his career and have resulted in films of wildly varying quality, from some genuinely hysterical comedies to some of the lowest-rated movies ever made. Starring in zany comedies like Airheads(1994), Billy Madison (1995), and Happy Gilmore(1996), Sandler found success playing over-the-top but lovable characters. ![]() He gained notoriety as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995 and piggybacked off that fame to launch his film career in the mid-90s. Adam Sandler has had one of the most unique Hollywood careers of any actor.
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