As a young stand-up comedian, Adam Sandler probably didn't foresee himself becoming one
of the most successful funnymen in Hollywood, complete with a sweet Netflix deal, but he
did. While his movies are often beaten up on by critics, the actor has starred in some
pretty classic comedies, like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and The Wedding Singer.
"Son of a b---- ball why didn't you just go home."
However, if you look long enough at the man's movies, you'll spot numerous in-jokes and
all sorts of references scattered throughout his filmography.
The Star Wars connection
There's no denying Sandler's films have a pretty strong connection to Star Wars.
"Millennium Falcon, Millennium Falcon. Cruising along here. Whooo, almost hit a star."
Take Carrie Fisher, for example. The late great actress is best remembered for her role
as Princess Leia, but did you know she also worked on The Wedding Singer? As it turns
out, Fisher was an uncredited writer on the 1998 comedy, and according to Drew Barrymore,
Fisher was brought in to "write the girl's part to make it balanced."
But the connections don't stop there. In 2012's That's My Boy, Sandler plays Donny Berger,
a deadbeat dad who names his kid "Han Solo."
"You were basically the worst parent ever."
"I was awesome!"
Sandler's loyalty to this galaxy far, far away might stem from a real-life interaction
he had with Han. According to Sandler, Harrison Ford once asked him to wash his car as a way
to surprise his kids, as they were big Sandler fans.
"He goes, my kids think you're funny. And it would just be such a kick for them to see
that. And I was like, 'Uh, OK.'"
And if the galaxy's greatest space scoundrel asks you for a favor, how can you say no?
The Godfather connection
Adam Sandler's extended movie universe doesn't stop at Star Wars. The actor is also a big
fan of The Godfather, and a few of his films contain references to Francis Ford Coppola's
classic gangster series. For proof, look no further than Jack and Jill, which stars Michael
Corleone himself. The actor even references the infamous scene from The Godfather Part
II where he threatens Diane Keaton with all his power, asking her, "Don't you know me?"
Of course, in Jack and Jill, Pacino uses the monologue to intimidate Sandler into getting
him a date with his twin sister.
And in Billy Madison, Sandler did his own Michael Corleone impersonation, spoofing the
scene from The Godfather Part II where Michael gives Fredo the kiss of death.
A Vendetta for V
Everybody has a type, and it seems like Adam Sandler has a thing for women whose names
start with "V." Or against them, maybe? In Billy Madison, Bridgette Wilson plays Veronica
Vaughn, a third-grade teacher who has strange ways of motivating Billy to take his education
more seriously. Then, in Happy Gilmore, Sandler's character is encouraged to get his head in
the golfing game by a PR executive named Virginia Venit.
And in The Waterboy, Bobby Boucher falls in love with witchy astrologer Vicki Vallencourt
, despite his mama's warnings.
"That woman is the devil, and I want you to stay away from her, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Now you come on inside, before that lil' ol' witch cast a spell on ya!"
Big Daddy also saw its title slacker dumped by his girlfriend Vanessa, and in Little Nicky,
Sandler's son of Satan falls head over heels for Valerie Veran, a woman who helps Nicky
defeat his evil brothers.
And now we're wondering if maybe Adam Sandler was the guy behind that Guy Fawkes mask…
The Tarantino connection
While The Ridiculous 6 didn't fare particularly well with critics, there's no denying the
title is an intentional nod to Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, which came out the same
year. But believe it or not, Adam Sandler almost had the opportunity to work with Tarantino
himself, as the director originally wanted the comedian to play the bat-wielding "Bear
Jew" in Inglourious Basterds.
Of course, the role eventually went to Eli Roth, as Sandler chose to star in Funny People,
instead. But while Sandler missed out on a great role, Sandler's pal Jonathan Loughran
managed to catch the Tarantino train. Loughran has shown up in quite a few Sandler films,
but he's also taken serious roles with Tarantino, like playing Jasper the mechanic in Death
Proof. He also appeared in Kill Bill as a gross trucker, so perhaps it's not a coincidence
that when Loughran popped up in Sandler's Sandy Wexler, he was playing a character by
the name of Trucker Jon.
The cat connection
There's a feline theme running through a lot of Adam Sandler's movies, too. Anger Management,
for example, was a film where Sandler's character designs clothing for his overweight pet, Meatball.
(Interestingly, that's the name of Sandler's real-life dog, who served as the ring bearer
at Sandler's wedding.) Then there's Mr. Deeds, where Sandler is slandered by a dishonest
reporter after he tried to save some cats from a fire by tossing them out of a window.
In Don't Mess with the Zohan, Sandler's character actually plays hacky sack with some poor cat,
and in Funny People, Sandler lets loose with a few laughs as he watches a kid perform "Memory"
from, you guessed it, Cats. But hey, we're not done with the feline jokes just yet. In
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Chuck falls for Alex when she's dressed up as a
Cat woman for Halloween. Meow there's a thread worth tugging at.
His love-hate relationship with felines probably has a little something to do with that time
he was mauled by a cheetah during an African safari, but who knows.
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