Adam Sandler makes people laugh, but why did he actually make these kids cry?
Comedians are notorious for pushing buttons to generate reactions from their audiences,
but Adam Sandler has been accused of taking his commentary just a touch too far.
For instance, the manner in which he speaks about the opposite sex has been heavily scrutinized.
In October 2014, Netflix announced that they had penned a new deal with Sandler, which
would see him acting in and producing four films for the streaming giant.
Sandler released a statement shortly thereafter, saying,
"When these fine people came to me with an offer to make four movies for them, I immediately
said yes for one reason and one reason only [. . .] Netflix rhymes with wet chicks."
Understandably, his response was met with some criticism.
A year later, in an interview, Rose McGowan discussed the casting notes attached to a
script Sandler was supposedly casting, encouraging female actors to wear push-up bras and show cleavage.
As McGowan told Entertainment Weekly,
"I was offended by the stupidity more than anything.
I was offended by the fact [the script] went through so many people's hands and nobody
red flagged it."
"It's an Adam Sandler movie, who am I, like, dumb?"
According to the actress, she was fired by her agent for criticizing Sandler.
Alongside Rose McGowan's tweets, Adam Sandler's treatment of women has been widely critiqued,
from alleged poor manners and a bad sense of style to unwanted touching.
For instance, in 2015, a red carpet photograph emerged from a promotional event for "Hotel Transylvania 2."
In the picture, Selena Gomez was dressed in formal attire while standing in between Kevin
James and Sandler, both of whom were dressed casually, in comparison.
One commenter took to Twitter to write,
"Double standard needs to be called it out.
[Adam Sandler] in sweats on red carpet - gross!"
An incident that transpired on the "Graham Norton Show" was seemingly much more troubling.
While promoting his Netflix project "The Meyerowitz Stories," Sandler was seen touching Claire Foy's knee.
As one journalist wrote for The Independent,
"It's not OK to touch someone, to move too closely to anyone, to presume you have the
right to dominate someone's personal space."
Though Foy's spokesperson said she was unoffended, the star of "The Crown" appeared uncomfortable
with the gesture and could be seen removing Sandler's hand from her body.
Adam Sandler's 2012 movie "That's My Boy" generated some very bad publicity for the actor.
In particular, critics raised the alarm about the portrayal of child abuse within the film.
The movie's plot follows the relationship between Sandler's character, Donny, and his
middle school teacher, played at different ages by both Susan Sarandon and her real-life
daughter Eva Amurri.
In the film, Donny and his teacher become involved in a sexual relationship and have a son.
What concerned some viewers was the fact that the movie praised Sandler's character as being
a "stud," and made light of the troubling, illegal interactions that had taken place.
"You have a little crush on me?"
According to The Washington Post, child advocates protested against the movie, and a petition
was circulated by Darkness to Light, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse.
The organization slammed the movie for glamorizing statutory rape.
The majority of Adam Sandler's movies have one thing in common: the cast is typically
comprised of the actor's closest friends.
Sandler's continuous approach to casting the same group of pals in his movies has raised
questions about the integrity of his creative process.
The former "SNL" star seems to be indifferent to the criticism, and has publicly made light
of the situation.
During an interview with The Independent, Sandler joked,
"I sit in my room, and think up an idea.
Then I call up all my friends and they say, 'That's awesome!
You are the best!'"
While he was partially joking, Sandler frequently casts a number of people in most of his movies,
including Dennis Dugan, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Steve Buscemi.
One of the most notable films that Adam Sandler has starred in is "Billy Madison," and for
fans, that film remains a true comedy classic.
However, some will be shocked to discover that underneath the veil of comedic antics
lies one of the sketchiest revelations about what Sandler is really like when the cameras
aren't rolling.
In Sandler's interview with Conan O'Brien in March 2017, the comedian joked that the
infamous dodgeball scene in "Billy Madison" actually involved him hitting young children
on purpose.
"I hit some kid pretty hard and he gets upset and he starts crying."
Some angry parents approached the actor, and that's when he found out the children didn't
know they'd be getting hit by the balls he was throwing.
"Oh no no no.
That's the scene.
I'm a big guy, went back to school, I'm supposed to plug all of these kids.
It's part of the joke."
Sandler quipped that, as most of the kids were just 6 years old, they hadn't read the
script in advance.
Fans of Adam Sandler's movies may have noticed that the actor often plays "nice guy" characters
that have a mean streak or are quick to lose their tempers.
During an interview with The Harvard Crimson in 2000, Sandler was questioned about why
he has continuously cast himself as a character who struggles with anger management under
the guise of comedy.
Sandler didn't hesitate, admitting,
"In real life, I do have a bit of that problem.
But over the years, I've been getting better I think [. . .] I like playing characters
who get insulted a lot and who lose their temper because of it or can't think of a snappy comeback.
[. . .] I do like snapping and yelling, it's part of my comedy."
"Calm down."
"I'm calm!"
During an interview with Howard Stern in 2015, Sandler admitted to having a temper, but declared
that he hadn't been in a physical altercation since the age of 18.
Howard Stern is known for roasting public figures.
However, Adam Sandler wasn't pleased when he became the but of Stern's jokes.
The radio host would repeatedly slam Sandler's movies and criticize his acting.
Per Us Weekly, Stern acknowledged in 2012,
"I know Adam Sandler won't come on the show because I've, in the past, criticized his movies.
[. . .] I guess that's the reason, but am I the only one criticizing the content in
his movies?"
In 2015, Sandler revealed why he was so upset by the criticism, telling Stern,
"When I was at NYU freshman year, I loved you.
That's why it was weird when you used to slam me.
It would break my heart because I loved you growing up."
Stern remorsefully responded,
"I always felt bad about all the years we didn't speak, I really did."
Stern and Sandler officially buried the hatchet in 2015 when Sandler made his first-ever appearance
on "The Howard Stern Show."
When it comes to finding the perfect location for filming his movies, Adam Sandler has a
very interesting process.
During a 2014 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", he confessed that he selected movie
locations in faraway places to get free vacations.
As Sandler revealed, "50 First Dates" was initially set in a totally different location,
but he was able to get the shoot moved.
"Imagine if we did it in Hawaii, how great that movie would be.
[. . .] I've been doing it ever since."
Basically, Sandler supposedly uses the budget for each of his movies to fund his travels.
Sandler's expansive movie location list means he has taken quite a tour of the world, seemingly
without ever having to pay a dime.
While "Blended" was set in South Africa, "Jack and Jill" was shot on a cruise ship, and "You
Don't Mess with the Zohan" was filmed in Mexico, to name just a few.
In fact, Ultimate Africa boasted about all the incredible locations Sandler enjoyed visiting
while filming "Blended" in 2014, explaining,
"Scenes were shot at the resort's animal park, within the Palace of the Lost City hotel,
on the hotel's pool terrace and in the Crystal Court restaurant."
Adam Sandler had a very public falling-out with Sony after the company's real perception
of the actor and his overall work ethic was revealed.
As part of a Sony hack in 2014, leaked messages surfaced which didn't paint Sandler in a very good light.
Per Gawker, one memo discussing Sandler's production company said,
"[T]he studio needs to change deal structure that has been in place with Happy Madison,
as this arrangement has disproportionately benefited Adam Sandler and his team."
The criticism didn't stop there, with one Sony employee writing,
"We continue to be saddled with the mundane, formulaic Adam Sandler Films.
Let's raise the bar a little on the films we produce."
It became publicly apparent that Sony wasn't all that sad to sever ties with Sandler when
he moved over to Netflix.
Adam Sandler found himself in hot water for 2015's "The Ridiculous Six," after reports
suggested some Native American actors had walked off set after being offended by the
film's content.
CNN reported that the movie's cultural advisor was allegedly so offended by the content that
he was the first to leave.
Actor Allison Young detailed some of the inappropriate events that took place on the set of "The
Ridiculous Six," telling CNN she was upset that two white women were cast to play Native
Americans and used broken English for their scenes.
It was also alleged that some of the Native American names on set were incredibly disrespectful,
and that costumes were not correctly designed to reflect the Apache Tribe, either.
Young also claimed,
"The producers just told us, 'If you guys are so sensitive, you should leave.'"
Responding to the incident, Sandler simply told The Associated Press,
"It was just a misunderstanding and once the movie is out [it] will be cleared up."