Upon Netflix’s launch of Comfortable Gilmore 2, we’re reminded of Adam Sandler’s prolific nearly-40 12 months profession.
After graduating from NYU’s Tisch College of the Arts, he propelled his profession as an actor and comic by becoming a member of the workers of Saturday Evening Stay. He turned a family title by musical comedy along with his songs, “The Chanukah Tune” and “The Thanksgiving Tune” and rose to main man standing in 1995 with Billy Madison.
From there, Adam turned synonymous with a mode of goofball filmmaking through which he wrote, produced, and starred as a flawed schlubby man who in some way all the time will get the woman. He has a dream profession for a lot of comedians and actors, making and starring in no matter he desires and repeatedly working with a loyal group of goofball buddies. However some individuals have criticized his movies as dumb, with misogynist, racist, and homophobic humor at instances.
Some critics imagine that Adam Sandler’s movies hate ladies.
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In 2016, The Solute shared their opinion: “Beneath the fart jokes and piss-poor scripts is that this borderline terrifying streak of anger towards each girl unlucky sufficient to stroll throughout this man’s path. If she gained’t be his love curiosity, she’s solely ok to be a supply of mockery or objectification.” They instructed that ladies are merely handled as eye-candy or prizes to be gained with little to no advanced character improvement.
In 2015, The Atlantic instructed: “The issue is that the indolent sense of self-loathing extends, in Sandler’s movies, past the characters he performs. The loathing right here is equal-opportunity. Fats jokes. Asian jokes. Girls jokes. Everyone seems to be a goal; and the impression this offers is just not of Sandler as a form of omnivorous satirist, however somewhat of Sandler as somebody who’s willfully unthinking about his mockery of different individuals.”
Adam’s trademark movies, which started within the ‘90s when ladies had been handled with much less respect than in 2025, permit everybody to be the butt of the joke. Adam’s personal self-depreciation makes him a relatable “regular” man. Whereas the characters he performs are extra flawed and fewer self-aware than these he mocks, individuals who take his films too significantly won’t perceive Adam’s perspective.
Comedy, laughter, and playfulness is commonly the objective; Adam each mocks and idealizes the common man, permitting common individuals to see how dumb we might be whereas additionally displaying we are able to discover happiness and love. And if Adam was really sexist, ladies wouldn’t proceed to work with him. In reality, fan tales and celeb anecdotes level to the alternative—Adam is a loyal, hard-working, sort, open-hearted man, which is why he’s so profitable. Individuals, together with ladies, need to work with him, and a few of the ladies he’s labored with have defined why all through the years.
Jennifer Aniston
After her breakout position as Rachel in Associates, Jen turned arguably the largest star of the bunch. And earlier than she starred in 2011’s Simply Go With It reverse Adam, she had identified him for over 20 years. Since then, they’ve starred in Netflix’s Homicide Thriller and Homicide Thriller 2, making her one in all Adam’s most frequent collaborators. “He’s such a mensch and also you simply love one another, he takes you in, and I’m very a lot the identical means,” she informed E! News, “and then you definately turn out to be household. It’s like second nature.”
In each interview, they make one another snigger effortlessly, and Jen has revealed to the Wall Street Journal that upon studying about her fertility struggles, Adam and his spouse ship her a bouquet of flowers each Mom’s Day. Their long-standing friendship and the respect Adam reveals in the direction of Jen as a comic, actor, and good friend, preserve her coming again to work with him time and time once more.
Drew Barrymore
One other frequent Adam Sandler collaborator, Drew has starred reverse Adam in The Marriage ceremony Singer (1998), 50 First Dates (2004), and Blended (2014). She stated on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that Adam was her greatest on-screen kiss and has even dubbed him her cinema-soulmate. She defined, “I really like being in movies with him, as a result of I feel we’re representing one thing larger than sizzling, sexual chemistry. We’re representing true admiration of one other particular person.”
In an episode of The Drew Barrymore Present earlier in 2025, she shared that her friendship with Adam runs deep: “I’ll develop outdated with him and Jackie [Sandler, his wife]. We’re collectively on a regular basis. His spouse Jackie is my expensive good friend,” and their daughters are buddies as properly. Due to their longstanding friendship, his vocal assist of her discuss present, and their distinctive on-screen chemistry, we count on Drew to face by Adam’s facet for a few years to come back.
Julie Bowen
Now within the ranks of Jennifer and Drew with three Adam Sandler collaborations because of Comfortable Gilmore 2, Julie additionally starred reverse Adam in Comfortable Gilmore (1996) and Hubie Halloween (2020). She informed PEOPLE how a lot individuals love Adam: “Day-after-day I set to work, I’m like, ‘Is that…?’ I’m not allowed to say who’s in it, however I’m identical to, ‘What?!’ However these individuals all confirmed up for Adam as a result of Adam makes everyone really feel like they’re welcome, and he’s simply so gracious and beautiful.” Like Jen and Drew, Julie has identified Adam a very long time and is all the time desirous to work with him.
Salma Hayek
An oft-forgotten Adam Sandler collaborator is Salma Hayek, who starred with Adam in Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013), and Right here Comes the Growth (2012). Opposite to how critics assume Adam presents ladies in his movies, a lot of his main girls are hilarious characters of their very own. “My complete life I wished to do comedy and other people wouldn’t give me comedies,” Salma informed GQ UK in 2023. “I couldn’t land a task till I met Adam Sandler, who put me in a comedy, however I used to be in my forties! They stated, ‘You’re attractive, so that you’re not allowed to have a humorousness.’”
She additionally shared that as a mom, Adam all the time prioritizes household, making it simple to work with him whereas spending time together with your children. “All of us introduced youngsters to the set,” she stated in an interview with Collider. “Adam makes it the dream atmosphere to convey youngsters. They’re so extremely entertained that you just’re nervous if you get again dwelling since you marvel how you’ll entertain your little one.” A loyal good friend, a humorous man, and a household man? No marvel everybody desires to work with Adam!
