Adam Sandler is one of the most polarizing actors working today, as critics hate his movies but audiences love them. However, though he’s best known for outrageous comedies, Uncut Gems may have encouraged him to continue making thrilling dramas, as he will be reuniting with the Safdie Brothers for their follow-up to the 2019 movie.
But whether or not that’ll stop the Golden Raspberry voters from picking on him is another question entirely, as the comedy actor has been nominated, as 17 of his movies have been nominated for Razzies. However, not all of them are bad, and some of them are far from. And one Razzie-nominated movie will come as a huge surprise.
Bulletproof (1996) – 5.8
Bulletproof was one of Sandler’s very first leading roles in a major movie. Though the actor had previously starred in Happy Gilmore just a few months beforehand, it wasn’t exactly as high profile as Bulletproof, especially given that the comedy actor was starring alongside Damon Wayans.
Unfortunately, though it’s hard for buddy cop movies to miss the mark, the 1996 movie was criticized for its lack of logic, and despite starring two of the 1990s funniest actors, they have little-to-no chemistry in the film. That led to Sandler’s very first of many Razzie nominations for Worst Actor.
The Cobbler (2014) – 5.8
Though they’re few and far between, Sandler has several dramatic roles under his belt, and whether it’s in Punch-Drunk Love or Uncut Gems, he often gets universal praise for them. However, The Cobbler was one of Sandler’s bad days in the office, and the strange fantastical drama didn’t even land with general audiences.
The film was a box office bomb and the comedian was again nominated for Worst Actor at the Razzies. However, director Tom McCarthy went on to direct Spotlight the following year, which is one of the best dramas of the 2010s.
Mr. Deeds (2002) – 5.8
Mr. Deeds isn’t actually an original movie, but is in fact a remake of the 1936 movie, Mr. Deeds Goes To Town. The film follows the titular character (Sandler,) who inherits $40 billion, and being an owner of a rundown pizzeria, Deeds struggles to adjust to his new pampered lifestyle.
The 2002 release is great for any hardcore fan of Sandler, but for anyone who isn’t a fan, it’s way too silly. 2002 was another twofer for the actor too. Along with Mr. Deeds, Sandler was also nominated for Worst Actor for his voice acting in the animated comedy Eight Crazy Nights.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry (2007) – 5.9
I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry follows two firefighters who pretend to be gay and get married so their children can benefit from healthcare. The movie means well, but it inadvertently comes off ignorant and pretty homophobic.
The 2007 film has gained a ton of controversy in the years since for the way it portrays the LGBTQ+ community and how it uses gay stereotypes. And according to Vulture, Alexander Payne, who wrote the first draft of the screenplay, the production was “Sandler-izing” it and didn’t want his name attached to the project. If there’s any nomination that Razzie voters got right, it was this one.
The Waterboy (1998) – 6.1
Just like Mr. Deeds, The Waterboy is another cult hit of Sandler’s. The movie encompassed everything that non-fans of the actor despised. Between pulling funny faces and putting on an accent with a lisp, the 1998 movie wasn’t ever going to convert audiences into new fans if they already disliked Little Nicky or Happy Gilmore.
The Waterboy is one of the strangest comedies ever, as it follows Bobby (Sandler,) who is obsessed with hydrating football teams after his father supposedly died of hydration. Somehow, Sandler even managed to enlist Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, who plays Bobby’s mother, but that wasn’t enough to keep Sandler from being nominated for Worst Actor.
Just Go With It (2011) – 6.4
Over the years, more and more of Adam Sandler’s movies have taken place in exotic locations, most notably Hawaii, and Just Go With It is no different. The 2011 movie is all about a recently divorced Surgeon (Sandler) who pretends to be married so he doesn’t have to worry about going on dates.
But when his lies get too entangled, he enlists his office manager (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his wife and travel to Hawaii. Razzie voters saw the movie for what it was, an excuse for A-list actors to go to Hawaii, and even though there are a few funny scenes, Sandler and Aniston were nominated for Worst Screen Combo at the awards ceremony.
Big Daddy (1999) – 6.4
Big Daddy follows yet another everyman, Sonny (Sandler,) who attempts to adopt the fiver-year-old who landed on his doorstep. It’s typically schmaltzy and sentimental for a movie of its kind, but it also houses some of Sandler’s funniest moments. Newspapers are Sonny’s best friend, as he seemingly hilariously uses them for both milk spills and when Julian urinates. Needless to say, Sonny doesn’t get custody of the child.
Sandler was nominated for both Worst Actor and Worst Screenplay for Big Daddy, as the actor also co-wrote the script as well as starred in the 1999 courtroom comedy. Even though it’s one of the best screenplays written by Sandler, the Razzie academy didn’t agree. And it was the movie that also got him his first “win,” if it can be called that. Sandler was awarded the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actor.
Blended (2014) – 6.5
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have collaborated three times at this point, and while everyone sings the praises of The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, the same can’t be said for their third collaboration. Blended is a run-of-the-mill, as it follows two separate people who once went on a blind date that didn’t go so well, only they’re forced to spend time together when they end up at the same African Safari.
And just like Just Go With It and many other Sandler-driven movies that came before it, it’s based in an exotic location. Many viewers have speculated that the actor used the movie as a vacation, and that could have led to his Razzie nomination for Worst Actor for Blended.
Happy Gilmore (1996) – 7.0
1996 was a bittersweet year for Sandler, as he was the lead actor in not just Bulletproof that year, but Happy Gilmore too. Unfortunately, he was also nominated for Worst Actor for the golfing comedy too, and it just goes to show that the Golden Rasberry Voters had a vendetta against Sandler very early on.
The 1996 movie has a premise that reads like it should be Razzie-nominated, as it follows an everyman who becomes a golfing hero after applying what he learned from playing hockey semi-pro. However, Happy Gilmore is one of the most beloved 90s comedies ever, it’s full of hilarious quotable dialogue, and a 7.0 is an extremely respectable score for a movie of its kind.
Uncut Gems (2019) – 7.4
In Uncut Gems, Sandler isn’t vacationing in Hawaii, he isn’t scheming to go on a date with the woman of his dreams, and he isn’t playing sports with his buddies. Instead, the comedy actor plays Howard, a Jewish jeweler in New York’s diamond district, and he makes one mistake after the next as he gets himself into gambling debts and cheats on his wife.
The movie isn’t remotely funny but anxiety-inducing and heart-racing. The crime drama is shot unlike any other, and Sandler gives the best ever performance of his career. And though he was nominated for a Razzie for the role, it was the Razzie Redeemer Award, which is given to an actor who becomes a “respected artist” after a string of failures.
