Irony thy name is Adam Sandler.
I grew up on Adam Sandler. Whether it was his Canteen Boy skit from SNL, his They're All Gonna Laugh At You! comedy album, or classics like BILLY MADISON and HAPPY GILMORE, I consumed every crumb of the man's catalog. While the comedian from NYC started out hot with hits like THE WATERBOY, BIG DADDY, and MR. DEEDS, eventually he began to lose steam. As time went by the actor began to have zero regard for the quality of his movies as films like THE RIDICULOUS SIX and GROWNUPS 2 demonstrate.
However, what's fascinating about Sandler is that in the right part he can be one Hell of an actor. 2002's PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE showcased Adam Sandler's acting chops for the first time and the criminally underrated REIGN OVER ME proved it wasn't a fluke. Adam Sandler's latest film UNCUT GEMS reinforces the notion of the man's acting acumen. The latest film from the Safdie Brothers is generating a ton of Oscar buzz for the MURDER MYSTERY actor. JoBlo's own Chris Bumbray raved about the movie when he got the chance to see it at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year.
Now whether or not Sandler actually receives an Oscar nomination remains to be seen. The competition in the Best Actor category is extremely tough this year with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Antonio Banderas, and more in the running. Sandler believes however that he not only deserves a nomination, but to win as well. In fact he's gone so far as to threaten the public with another terrible film if he doesn't take home the golden statue.
After Sandler lost out to Adam Driver for Best Actor at the Gotham Awards, the comedian appeared on The Howard Stern Show to promote UNCUT GEMS. When asked about the possibility of winning an Academy Award, the bombastic actor stated, “If I don’t get it, I’m going to f***ing come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That’s how I get them.”
Now granted this statement is very tongue and cheek obviously. Also I think it's a slight dig at critics who say Sandler only releases bad movies. While I personally don't believe that's the case, I wonder if Adam Sandler truly understands the irony of his statement. "There's no such thing as an objectively bad or good film" is a movie hill I will die on, however you can't deny that the majority of Sandler's films over the last ten years or so have been uninspired, lazy pictures.
In any event we'll find out if Adam Sandler's performance was good enough to earn an Academy Award nomination when the nominees are announced live January 13. Meanwhile UNCUT GEMS releases nationwide Christmas Day.