Quotable, outrageous, and hilarious, there is only one Adam Sandler. With almost 20 movie writing credits to his name, Sandler has created some of the wackiest films of the last 25 years.
His over-the-top acting in many of the films he has written has earned him a lot of laughs and a whole lot of money. While his films do not always get received well critically, Sandler has a way of almost always making his films quite financially successful. Of course, some of his movies are better than others. With the help of hundreds of thousands of reviews on Letterboxd, new fans can discover which are the best.
In You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Sandler plays an Israeli counterterrorism soldier with dreams of making it in NYC as a hairdresser. In order to accomplish this, he fakes his death, but his previous life soon catches up with him.
The movie has an absurd premise made extremely enjoyable by Sandler's ability to perfectly portray his character. It's filled to the brim with stupidity one can't help but laugh at, and Sandler as Zohan has even become a popular meme template. Earning a 2.3 on Letterboxd, new viewers will be surprised by how quotable this one is.
Sandler's first animated feature he wrote, Eight Crazy Nights, follows Davey Stone. Davey is a party animal in his mid-30s who gets in trouble with the law on the first night of Chanukah. He gets let off with community service for his crimes, but if he doesn't get his act together, he will go to prison.
One of the few holiday movies that revolve around Chanukah, this film is a classic Sandler flick as he makes an unusual but one of the best holiday rom-coms. Sandler is hilarious as the elderly Whitey, as he guides his other character, Davey, to becoming a better person.
Hubie Halloween is about Hubie Dubois. Hubie is a lover of his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, and their huge Halloween celebrations. Hubie is usually a laughing stock amongst kids and adults, but this Halloween something is wrong and only he can save the town.
This film has the DNA of a classic Sandler film. There are always going to be ludicrous moments in any Sandler movie and this movie is not short on them, making this a fun, under two-hour watch that is somewhat underseen.
In The Week Of, two very different fathers must come together in order to celebrate their children's wedding. Sandler loves teaming up with friends to create a film.
In this movie, Sandler and long-time friend, Chris Rock, each play very different fathers of soon-to-be-married children. The pair of actors love working together and this is clear from their comedic chemistry.
Speaking of teaming up with friends, Grown-Ups is Sandler's greatest accomplishment in that area. After the coach of their high school basketball team passes away, five friends and previous basketball teammates reunite in their hometown.
Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider make for an awesome and hilarious cast to center a light-hearted comedy around. This film is one of Sandler's few where he is the most grounded character, while his friends get to be the more outlandish.
The Waterboy is about water boy Bobby Boucher, who gets a chance on his struggling football team when his coach discovers his hidden rage, which makes him a dominant defensive presence and may propel the team to glory.
A classic Sandler voice/accent, this film is just as quotable as it is hilarious. With its mere 90-minute runtime, its easy to come back to, time and time again. It may be a bit dumb, but it is hard to not enjoy watching The Waterboy. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a favorite amongst Sandler fans.
The follow-up to Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2 is the story of the vampire Vlad, who arrives at a family gathering. Hotel Transylvania is the meeting place and hosts some wacky characters, both old-school and new.
Sandler's second and final animated feature where he has a writing credit, this family flick is wacky and lots of fun. Of course, Sandler is playing Vlad and dialing it up while delivering an accent that is (unsurprisingly) one of the best parts of the film. This is a must-see for fans of animated kids' movies.
Big Daddy is about Sonny Koufax, an incredibly lazy law school grad. In an attempt to impress his girlfriend, Sonny adopts a kid, but soon his plan gets out of control as he becomes the kid's foster father.
The movie is packed with jokes, but what really carries this Sandler flick are the few and far between hard-hitting emotional moments. Rob Schneider as the nameless Delivery Guy is great, as well, as he never misses in the scenes he is given.
Billy Madison follows the 27-year-old titular character, the son of a very successful and rich hotelier. In order to inherit his father's company, Billy must pass all 12 grades, each grade in just two weeks.
An absurd and impossible plot goes perfectly when coupled with an over-the-top and hilarious Sandler performance. Sandler screams, hallucinates, and whacks children in the face with dodgeballs in what was his first lead role. Anyone who likes outlandish comedies may find their new favorite movie here. It is also an Adam Sandler-led rom-com. which makes it redeemable for those less into the idiocy throughout the film.
Happy Gilmore is about a failed hockey player who discovers his natural and unconventional talent in golf. In order to save his Granny's home, Happy must win a PGA tournament and defeat his rival, Shooter McGavin.
Ranked by BleacherReport as one of the top 100 sports movies ever, there are a lot of reasons to watch Happy Gilmore. Of course, it is funny and gives off the same kind of awesome and loud Sandler energy that Billy Madison does. What really makes this film though, is its creation of one of the supreme villains in any movie: Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald.
