One upcoming Adam Sandler movie will change your opinion of the actor even more than a 2019 instant classic did. In what was certainly one of the most surprising moves of Sandler’s long and massively successful career, Sandler starred in the gritty Safdie Brothers drama Uncut Gems, which is arguably the most critically acclaimed film he’s ever done. Sandler is known best for his raunchy comedies such as Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and Big Daddy as well as his romantic comedies such as The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, and Just Go With It.
Sandler has taken on more serious roles in film before 2019’s Uncut Gems, including his first notable dramatic performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, in which he starred alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman. He also starred in the drama Reign Over Me with Don Cheadle in 2007 and would eventually appear alongside Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, and Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). Uncut Gems truly demonstrated Sandler’s ability to deliver a transformative dramatic performance, a sentiment that will likely be further proven by his next major dramatic role.
20 Best Quotes From All Adam Sandler Movies
Adam Sandler has starred in dozens of hilarious comedies and critically acclaimed dramas that have offered both funny and inspirational one-liners.
Adam Sandler’s Spaceman Is An Even Bigger Departure Than Uncut Gems
Adam Sandler’s next film, Spaceman, is an even greater deviation from his typical movie persona than his celebrated role as Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems was. Spaceman, which releases on Netflix on March 1, 2024, the same day as the highly-anticipated space epic Dune: Part Two releases in theaters, will see Sandler take on the role of Jakub Procházka, the first astronaut ever from the Czech Republic. Based on a true story, Sandler will chronicle Procházka’s legendary rise from being raised in the Czech countryside to making history for his country.
Sandler is used to playing exaggerated characters with big personalities, which is why his role as Howard Ratner, albeit mostly dramatic, is actually not that different than the types of characters he’s most famous for playing. Howard is somewhat of a comic figure as well even though the film is presented as a fast-paced thriller at times and a serious drama at others. Jakub Procházka, however, is a real-life highly honorable astrophysicist whose story will likely be told through a very dramatic lens in Spaceman, which should provide Sandler with the most serious acting performance of his career.
Spaceman Can Finish What Uncut Gems Started For Adam Sandler
While Sandler has been widely celebrated for his few but impressive dramatic roles as well as his classic comedies of the 1990s and 2000s, he is also credited with making several poorly-rated Netflix comedies such as 2016’s The Do-Over and 2017’s Sandy Wexler. Sandler has an undeniably wide acting range, which is also demonstrated in the 2022 sports film Hustle in which he plays a professional NBA scout. Many people would call Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems Sandler’s best dramatic role, but Spaceman looks to be the biggest challenge and risk that the experienced actor has ever taken.
While there was speculation that Sandler could actually earn some Oscar buzz for his performance of Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems, he was ultimately not nominated for an Academy Award, although he did receive nominations for a Critics Choice Award and a Gotham Award. If Spaceman turns out to be a critical hit for Sandler and Netflix, it could finally pick up where Uncut Gems left off for Sandler’s career. Spaceman could reestablish Sandler as a multifaceted actor whose range can extend from goofy slapstick comedy to serious transformative dramatic protagonists.
Adam Sandler’s Next Movie Pays Off A 14-Year-Old Joke
Adam Sandler’s next movie sees him play an astronaut for Netflix, and the role actually pays off a 14-year-old joke from one of his previous films.
Spaceman’s Success Will Have A Huge Impact On Adam Sandler’s Future Movies
Although the 57-year-old Sandler doesn’t have much else to prove as far as being an attention-grabbing actor, his successful dramatic role in Spaceman could propel him to appear in many other significant dramas in all types of movie genres. It makes sense that Sandler, who has been mostly pigeonholed in the comedy genre throughout his career, would like to build on the momentum of Hustle and Uncut Gems to be firmly considered as both an outstanding comedic and dramatic actor. Sandler also has another currently untitled project at Netflix with Uncut Gems directing duo the Safdie Brothers in development, which will likely be another dramatic role for the actor. Based on how 2024’s Spaceman turns out, we could be seeing many more dramatic roles from Sandler throughout the 2020s.
Uncut Gems
A crime thriller from Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems follows New York jeweler Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) as his gambling addiction forces him to associate with increasingly dangerous individuals. After receiving an incredibly rare black opal, Howard believes he can finally free himself of his mounting debts, but not without engaging in one final high-stakes balancing act while fending off violent loan sharks.
- Release Date
- December 13, 2019
- Director
- Josh Safdie , Benny Safdie
- Cast
- Jonathan Aranbayev , Eric Bogosian , The Weeknd , Idina Menzel , Noa Fisher , Kevin Garnett , Tommy Kominik , LaKeith Stanfield , Jacob Igielski , Adam Sandler , Julia Fox , Keith Williams Richards
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 134 minutes
- Genres
- Comedy , Drama , Crime
- Writers
- Ronald Bronstein , Josh Safdie , Benny Safdie
- Budget
- $19 million
- Studio(s)
- A24
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix , A24
