Five Movies Adam Sandler Probably Doesn’t Remember Being In
When he’s not parading through cities in basketball shorts that reach his shins, Adam Sandler is best known for his comedic chops and lengthy filmography. The actor has had quite the career, dating as far back to his stint on Saturday Night Live, which propelled early cinematic efforts like Billy Madison and The Waterboy as well as more recent buzzworthy entries like Uncut Gems and Hustle.
But for a man with such a prolific resume, there’s bound to be few films he probably doesn’t remember being in. Ones, in fact, we’ve all collectively chosen to forget. Films like…
Zookeeper (2011)
Sandler joined forces with friend and frequent collaborator Kevin James for the fantasy-comedy film that sees the titular role, played by James, enlisting the help of a zoo’s animals to help him woo his love interest. Amongst these animals is Donald, a tufted capuchin voiced by Sandler. Likely only ever on set in a producing capacity, even money says he has no idea he ever lent his voice to the wayward monkey.
Jack and Jill (2011)
Sandler pulled double duty here as twins Jack and Jill Sadelstein, one a successful ad executive and the other a general nuisance who would go on to become the love interest of Al Pacino. Pacino has previously gone on record saying he “wants to do films that aren’t really very good and try to make them better,” so there’s no mystery when it comes to why he likely signed on for the role. Filled with crude humor and outdated stereotypes, Jack and Jill sits at 3 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and set records when it became the first film to sweep the Razzies, which would be the only reason Sandler could recall it without a few hints.
The Cobbler (2014)
In another Razzy-nominated role, Sandler took a stab at magical realism playing a shoemaker who discovers a magical sewing machine that lets him, quite literally, walk in his customers shoes and see the world through their eyes. Panned by critics, the most memorable thing to come out of this movie was the litigation that involved 11 people illegally downloading it. The defendants, however, won, due to the lack of definitive proof of the specific activity. Basically, they couldn’t even get a person under oath to admit to watching this film.
Men, Women & Children (2014)
The Jason Reitman-directed drama based on the eponymous novel attempted to explore the human struggles that come with today’s technology-obsessed world. Sandler played Donald Truby, who finds himself in a loveless, sexless marriage filled with adultery and Ashley Madison usage. The film lost a colossal $14 million against its budget, so we doubt it’s one that Sandler is running back to showcase anytime soon, especially with critical darlings like Punch-Drunk Love under his belt.
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Sandler teamed up with Disney for this family affair, playing a hotel handyman named Skeeter. In the film, the stories he tells his niece and nephew come to life, and he keeps telling stories that become more and more absurd. The film was a financial success at its release, but critics noted that it felt restrained and lacked the zeal of Sandler’s earlier work, likely due to its primary audience of pre-teens.
Translation: It couldn’t have been more forgettable — likely even for Sandler himself.
