Adam Sandler offers a thoughtful response to his movies not proving popular with critics. After getting his start on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, Sandler has gone on to become one of the most recognizable and prolific comedy actors of his generation, starring in movies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and Anger Management, all of which earned him a passionate fan following. More recently, the actor starred in Netflix's Murder Mystery before then taking on more serious roles in critically-acclaimed films like Uncut Gems and Hustle.
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Although Uncut Gems and Hustle currently hold career-best scores for Sandler on Rotten Tomatoes, most of the actor's films have not fared well with critics. Despite continued love from audiences, films like Grown Ups, The Ridiculous 6, Jack and Jill, and You Don't Mess With The Zohan, among many others, have received significantly more negative reviews from critics than positive ones. Sandler's films tend to not only feature a similar tone and type of humor, but the actor also clearly has an affinity for working with his comedy actor friends, which include Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph. Netflix's Hubie Halloween, for example, which holds a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, features James, Schneider, Buscemi, and Rudolph.
Now, in a new interview with AARP, Sandler opens up about how it feels to have so many of his movies constantly thrashed by critics, admitting that it does sometimes sting. Despite the negativity, however, the comedian says that some sage advice from his late father always gets him through the tough times, and, ultimately, he doesn't "get too shook up" about what critics say. Check out Sandler's full comment below when asked if bad reviews hurt:
"Sometimes. Mostly because I invite all these amazing people I care about to make movies with me, and I wish they didn’t have to read s— about whatever we’ve made. But I don’t get too shook up. I always remember something my father said. He was a tough bastard. He went through ups and downs in his life, like not having work for a year or two and not telling us. I recall one time that something didn’t go right for me. I bombed onstage or didn’t get an audition. I was upset and probably embarrassed. And he said, 'Adam, you can’t always be happy. People aren’t always going to like you. You’re going to fail.' I said, 'But I just want to be happy, man. I don’t want all that other crap.' He said, 'You won’t actually know you’re happy if you don’t feel that other stuff.'"
Although many of his movies may not fare well with critics, Sandler’s recent collaborations with Netflix have yielded some impressive results in terms of audience engagement. The actor evidently still has a passionate fan base, with Netflix reporting that 2019's Murder Mystery, in which Sandler starred opposite Jennifer Aniston, was watched by 73 million households in its first 4 weeks on the streaming platform. The film currently holds a moderately low 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the strong viewership was enough for Netflix to greenlight a sequel, which is currently in post-production.
Sandler's comments come at a time when general audiences and critics seem to disagree about movies more than ever before. Despite the growing divide between the two viewing bodies, Sandler still clearly has the power to unite audiences, with films like Hustle and Uncut Gems earning near-unanimous praise. Although negative reviews can undoubtedly be hurtful, Sandler evidently just wants to have a good time making movies with his friends, and the wise advice from his father suggests he has no problem taking the good with the bad.