Underrated Adam Sandler Movies, Ranked By Sandman Fans
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Vote on the lesser-known movies that make Sandler fans truly Happy (Gilmore).
Everyone knows about Adam Sandler’s comedy classics like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and The Wedding Singer. Most people also know of his most notorious flops, like his Razzie-sweeping Jack and Jill. Between these extremes, though, are plenty of underrated flicks from the Sandman that deserve more love.
Sandler became one of the few Saturday Night Live standouts to successfully transition into movie stardom. He has since appeared in over 50 films throughout his 30-plus-year movie career. Although he shines in comedies like Big Daddy and Little Nicky, his roles in Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me show that his dramatic chops are equal to his impeccable comic timing.
So, if you've watched all of his classics and want something different, it's worth taking a look at these handful of Sandler's lesser-known films that no fan should sleep on.
- 1225 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: Lucy (Drew Barrymore) experiences daily amnesia as the result of a car accident when she was a teen. She cannot form new memories and wakes up every morning believing it's the day of her injury. The commitment-shy Henry (Sandler) falls in love with Lucy and searches for a way to build a lasting relationship with her.
Why It’s Underrated: The 2004 rom-com paired The Wedding Singer stars Sandler and Barrymore together for the second time, and it exists in the shadow of that mega-hit as a result. The pair's onscreen compatibility takes center stage as the "cinema soulmates” play engaging characters that are easy to root for.
Most Memorable Scene: Lucy’s dad gives Henry a Beach Boys CD with the song “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” which Lucy had started singing to herself. As he listens to the song while sailing away to try to move on from Lucy, the emotion gets to him, and Henry sobs uncontrollably while belting out the lyrics.
Fun Fact: The rom-com was initially planned to take place in Seattle, before the filmmakers had the idea to change the setting to Hawaii.
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What It’s About: Sonny (Sandler) is an unambitious 32-year-old law school graduate who works as a toll collector. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, Sonny adopts a five-year-old boy to show her how mature he can be.
Why It’s Underrated: Big Daddy is far from a prestige drama like Uncut Gems, but it's also not as silly as other Sandler comedies like Little Nicky and Happy Gilmore. Big Daddy mixes in plenty of sincere Sandler moments alongside crude teenage humor, making it a fun way to spend 93 minutes that also can pull at heartstrings.
Most Memorable Scene: Sonny waxes poetic to young Julian about how lucky they are to live in a world where they can eat McDonald’s breakfast. After facing a series of obstacles, they arrive at McDonald’s too late for breakfast. The audience feels Sonny's pain. His subsequent temper tantrum is what polite society wants to do but never can.
Fun Fact: Paul Thomas Anderson expressed love for Big Daddy; he was especially impressed with Sandler’s performance, which led him to write Punch-Drunk Love for the actor.
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- 3129 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: Alan (Don Cheadle) and Charlie (Sandler) were roommates in college but lost touch after school. Charlie is completely despondent following the death of his wife and three daughters who died on one of the planes that crashed on September 11, 2001. His chance reunion with Alan proves to be therapeutic.
Why It's Underrated: The 2007 drama just barely made back its budget at the box office, yet its quality is far higher than that poor financial performance would suggest. Though there's just enough levity mixed in to help break up the traumatic moments, it's a rare example of Sandler working on a project that doesn't rely on comedy. All in all, Reign Over Me is a powerful film about losing everything and finding your way back with the help of a friend.
Most Memorable Scene: The scene when Charlie tells Alan what happened to his family is heartbreaking. Sandler plays the scene to perfection as the dialogue blends funny tidbits about his daughters and wife with the tragedy that occurred that September morning.
Fun Fact: In an inteview, Star Wars actress Daisey Ridley cited Reign Over Me as the movie that makes her cry the most.
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- 4181 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: Michael (Sandler) is a workaholic trying to get promoted at the expense of spending time with his family. He obtains a magical remote that allows him to control his life, allowing him to fast-forward, pause, and rewind real events at his whim.
Why It’s Underrated: Though it's easy to dismiss Click as a silly bit of early-2000s fluff better left in that decade, the sci-fi comedy works as a high-concept premise with enough laughs to make the film's “life lessons” about remaining present with loved ones bearable. Michael learns the value of time, and Sandler sells the emotional scenes.
Most Memorable Scene: Michael starts to use the remote that Monty (Christopher Walken) gave him to review his romantic history. An immersive DVD-style menu pops up, allowing him to scroll through ex-girlfriends, hilariously underscored by the song “Love Hurts.”
Fun Fact: Click earned an Academy Award nomination for best makeup, but lost to Pan’s Labyrinth. It was the first (and so far only) movie produced by Sandler's company Happy Madison Productions to get a nod at the Oscars.
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- 5180 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: Mr. Deeds is a remake of Frank Capra’s film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. The 2002 comedy tells the story of what unfolds when pizzeria owner Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) inherits $40 billion from a long-lost uncle.
Why It’s Underrated: Mr. Deeds has had a rather mixed reception from critics and casual viewers alike, though in hindsight, the movie is still far more entertaining than its initial reception indicates. Sandler takes on the Gary Cooper role from Capra’s 1936 classic, and Longfellow is much more reserved than Sandler's other popular comedy characters. Yet, it’s John Turturro as Emilio Lopez, the deceased billionaire’s butler/illegitimate son, who steals the show. The foot-loving servant has a way of sneaking up on people and getting laughs out of every scene he's in.
Most Memorable Scene: Emilio informs his new boss that it’s time for his sock change. That’s when Longfellow tells him about how he suffered frostbite when he was younger. He shows the butler his vile black foot. Longfellow says that he can’t feel anything and insists on Emilio jumping on his foot and whacking it with a fire iron.
Fun Fact: Sandler doesn’t have many sequels or remakes in his filmography. He made an exception for Mr. Deeds when he found out that the source material was one of his grandma’s favorite movies.
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What It’s About: In this 2000 fantasy-comedy, Sandler plays the Devil’s (Harvey Keitel) youngest son, Nicky. After two of Satan’s other sons escape the netherworld to cause chaos on Earth, the Devil sends sweet but temperamental Nicky to bring them back.
Why It’s Underrated: Little Nicky is seldom mentioned as one of Sandler's top comedies, yet the star-studded cast is impressive. Famous faces that drop in include Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rodney Dangerfield, Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz, Michael McKean, Reese Witherspoon, Dana Carvey, and Quentin Tarantino.
Most Memorable Scene: Hell’s Gatekeeper (Nealon) gets overpowered by Satan's two mischievous sons , so the Devil punishes the Gatekeeper by putting two breasts on his head. The Devil’s father Lucifer/Hell's founder (Dangerfield) comes out to see what’s going on; when he spots the new appendages, he grows excited and asks the Devil if he can take the Gatekeeper back to his room.
Fun Fact: Sandler based his titular character on a kid he knew from childhood. He explained:
[Portraying Nicky] wasn’t that challenging for me, I just put my mouth to the side and talked goofy. I was doing an impression of a kid I knew growing up who used to talk like that. He was the kind of guy who knew a lot of rock ‘n roll facts and he used to make up lies if he didn’t.
- 7130 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: A secretary with a massive temper named Dave (Sandler) is wrongly forced to attend an anger management program, where he works with a therapist (Jack Nicholson) with anger issues of his own. Dave is later required to spend every minute with Dr. Rydell.
Why It’s Underrated: Some critics derided the film for being “one-note” in terms of its comedy, but this downplays just how many laughs audience members are likely to get from Anger Management. Jack Nicholson plays an unhinged therapist and is given free rein to act completely bonkers. That alone makes this one a must-watch.
Most Memorable Scene: While accompanying Dave to work, Dr. Rydell noticed Dave growing angry in traffic and forces him to stop his car on a busy bridge and sing, “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story. Dave initially struggles through the lyrics, “I feel pity for any girl who isn't me today." Before long, though, he succumbs to the silliness of the sudden performance.
Fun Fact: FX adapted the movie for the small screen with Charlie Sheen taking over the therapist role. It was the actor’s first role after being fired from Two and a Half Men. The series aired for two seasons.
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What It’s About: Jim (Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore) suffer through a bad blind date and do not plan on seeing each other again. However, the single parents find themselves at an African family safari resort that caters to blended families. When the two families are forced to stay together, Jim and Lauren get another chance to spark a romantic connection.
Why It’s Underrated: The 2014 romantic-comedy pairs Sandler and Barrymore together for the third time. Though it's hard to compare to their previous collaborations The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, they retain enough nostalgic chemistry to keep the story moving. Terry Crews’s over-the-top exuberant performance as a resort singer/dancer is worth the price of admission alone.
Most Memorable Scene: Crews steals the show during his singing and dancing scenes. During one montage, he entertains the guests at dinner with hilarious but highly inappropriate tunes.
Fun Fact: The original name of the 2014 movie was Blended. Then, marketing specialists thought the title The Familymoon would be better. In the end, the filmmakers decided to revert to the original title.
- 982 VOTESPhoto: A24
What It’s About: New York City gems dealer/jeweler Howard (Sandler) is a degenerate gambler who is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. He scores a potentially huge payday when he acquires a rare black uncut opal; tension escalates as Howard refuses to quit while he's ahead and continues to pursue bigger and bigger potential payouts.
Why It’s Underrated: The Safdie brothers' film is often hard to watch as Howard continues to put his entire life on the line betting large sums of money he can’t afford to lose. Yet, this discomfort is exactly how Uncut Gems captures viewers. Sandler also shows off incredibly impressive dramatic acting chops as a fast-talking gambling addict. Both the film as a whole and Sandler's acting generated critical buzz, yet Uncut Gems was completely snubbed by the Oscars - although it may be some of the star's most lauded work, it remains underrated among other dramas.
Most Memorable Scene: Toward the end of the movie, there is a scene where Howard needs to get back the rare gem back that he has loaned to Kevin Garnett. To do that, Howard needs to reclaim Garnett's ring which he held as collateral, but gave to a pawn shop. Meanwhile, he's also fighting with his mistress and awaiting results of his colonoscopy.The scene stacks every possible obstacle up against Howard. He is so stressed that he can’t take a breath, and the audience feels his tension.
Fun Fact: Sandler took a method approach for Uncut Gems; he revealed during a 2019 Actor's Roundtable that he prepared for the role by spending time with gambling addicts.
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What It’s About: Single mother Flor (Paz Vega) and her 12-year-old daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) move from Mexico to Los Angeles, where Flor starts work as a housekeeper for John Clasky (Sandler) and his dysfunctional family. John is a wealthy celebrity chef with an unhappy wife. Flor and her daughter live with the family in Malibu for the summer and have to deal with the growing complicated relationships and the language barrier.
Why It’s Underrated: Reviews for Spanglish were mixed; still, James L. Brooks’s 2004 dramedy is another strong example that Sandler can play the dramatic moments as well as the funny ones. However, the stand-out star in the comedy is movie newcomer Paz Vega.
Most Memorable Scene: Flor gets to the point where she has to spill the hard truth to the Claskys about what a mess they are. However, she still doesn’t speak English so her daughter acts as her interpreter. It’s a funny scene as Cristina mimics her animated mother, flailing arms and all.
Fun Fact: Brooks reportedly cast Sandler in Spanglish after being impressed with his dramatic performance in Punch-Drunk Love.
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What It’s About: George (Sandler) is a former comic turned actor who is diagnosed with leukemia. With treatment unlikely to extent his life, George decides to get back into stand-up, which leads him to meet a young comic named Ira (Seth Rogen). While mentoring Ira, George also tries to work on other relationships in his life that have fallen into disarray.
Why It’s Underrated: The Judd Apatow dramedy failed to recoup its budget, which makes it seem like a flop rather than the fun behind-the-scenes look at stand-up that it is. Sandler shows off a blend of humor and emotion, and there are cameos from a slew of talented stand-up comics, including Dave Attell, Andy Dick, Carol Leifer, Paul Reiser, Ray Ramano, Sarah Silverman, and George Wallace.
Most Memorable Scene: Ira and George are at the doctor’s office. The doctor has long blonde hair and speaks with a heavy accent. He gives George bad news regarding his cancer. Instead of focusing on his health, George and Ira make fun of the doctor's thick German accent with jokes like, “Are you mad when you die at the end of Die Hard?”
Fun Fact: Funny People opens with a real clip of a prank call that Sandler made in the 1990s. Apatow was behind the camera filming the call when the pair were roommates in Los Angeles and both working to be comics.
- 1257 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
What It’s About: Barry (Sandler) is a sweet, shy man who has issues with both anger and anxiety, which are only exacerbated by the cruel treatment he gets from his seven sisters. When Lena (Emily Watson), one of his sister's co-workers, takes an interest in Barry, the pair embark on an awkward but joyful love affair, all while Barry takes advantage of a loophole he finds in supermarket pudding coupons.
Why It’s Underrated: Punch-Drunk Love didn't do well at the box office, but it was Sandler's first dramatic role, and he does a phenomenal job. It may not be a wide-appeal crowd pleasing comedy like many of Sandler's projects, but director Paul Thomas Anderson's distinctive use of color makes the film a visually stunning romantic comedy-drama.
Most Memorable Scene: Barry is at his sister’s house for a party that he doesn’t want to attend. His seven sisters gang up on him and tease him relentlessly. We can see the rage simmering inside of Barry. However, no one expects him to suddenly kick in three large glass doors. It’s a shocking scene because beforehand, Barry seemed so sweet. This is the first time the audience sees his temper issues, but thanks to Anderson’s writing and Sandler’s low-key performance, the rage makes Barry even more relatable.
Fun Fact: Anderson wrote Punch-Drunk Love as a starring vehicle for Sandler, even though, at the time, the comic was most known for his silly roles. Long-time producer JoAnne Sellar wrote that Anderson putting Sandler in this role “completely made me change my mind about Adam.”
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Photo: NetflixWhat It’s About: Three adult siblings from a dysfunctional family attend an event in New York City that celebrates their father’s career as a sculptor.
Why It’s Underrated: Noah Baumbach wrote and directed the 2017 bittersweet family dramedy, which debuted without much of a splash, likely due to its availability on streaming overshadowing its limited theatrical release. The cast features plenty of top-shelf talent including Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Adam Driver, and Emma Thompson. The witty and sometimes heartbreaking script is perhaps Baumbach’s best writing work. Plus, the material is easily relatable. Who doesn’t have a complicated family dynamic?
Most Memorable Scene: The three siblings visit their father Harold (Hoffman) in the hospital. Before they go in, they spot one of their father’s old friends, Paul (Jerry Mazt). An upset Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) takes off and runs into the woods behind the hospital. Her brothers follow her, and Jean tells them that Paul molested her when she was a teenager. She adds that she told her father what happened, but he insisted that she forget about it. It’s an emotional scene for the siblings, who share a brief hug as Jean can only handle so much empathy.
Fun Fact: While they were shooting the film, it went by the working title Yeh Din Ka Kissa which translates to “The Tale of This Day” in Hindi.
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