Wednesday Shameless Filler (Hey, They Can't All Be Great!)
posted October 14, 2009 6:00 AM
Deep Thought: Every generation has its own existential decision to make. For Boomers, obviously, it was "Vietnam or Canada?" or on a slightly less fraught level, "Beatles or Stones?"
For some of our younger readers, however, it was, alas, one perhaps even more agonizing.
I refer, of course, to "Adam Sandler: Skull-Crushingly Unfunny Comedian or Sign of the End Times?"
But I kid nice Jewish boys who got inexplicably famous on Saturday Night Live.
In any case, I think we can all agree -- regardless of our feelings about Sandler qua Sandler -- that most of his movies suck. With the wonderfully droll exception of The Wedding Singer (1998), an affectionate and sharply written 80s nostalgia piece/satire co-starring the reliably adorable Drew Barrymore.
Here's my favorite moment -- Sandler as Robbie Hart, the titular musician who makes a living grinding out cover versions of hits of the day, finally letting his hair down with one of his own compositions. A word of a caution, however: As he says by way of introduction, when he wrote it he was listening to The Cure a lot.
That song has actually been on my iPod going back years. Really -- I kid you not. For some reason, it just speaks to me.
In any case, you can order a totally deluxe Blu-ray edition of The Wedding Singer over here. If you're not ready for that level of committment, you should probably just get the DVD from Netflix. Or wait for it to show up on cable.
You're welcome.
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Steve Simels has written about music and movies for Sound and Vision magazine (formerly Stereo Review) since the early 70s. He has also contributed to Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide and the Wall Street Journal. He’s the author of “Gender Chameleons: Androgyny in Rock n Roll” (Arbor House, 1985), and blogs at PowerPop.blogspot.com. His ambition in life is to play the Leslie Howard role in a remake of “Petrified Forest.”

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Cousin Kevin said:
I have a soft spot for this movie as well.
"Her name is going to be Julia Gulia?"
October 14, 2009 6:40 AM
Gwen De Marco said:
I refer, of course, to "Adam Sandler: Skull-Crushingly Unfunny Comedian or Sign of the End Times?"
Both. Definitely.
October 14, 2009 8:37 AM
report from the heartland said:
hey! I really really like "Fifty (50?) First Dates"-- watch it, Simels
October 14, 2009 9:23 AM
Steve Simels said:
To be fair, I thought he was pretty good playing himself (as an obnoxious jerk) in "Funny People."
But then I think of "Happy Gilmore" or "Little Nicky" or "Love Reign Over Me" (or whatever that was called) and I simply want to smack him.
October 14, 2009 9:56 AM
dave™© said:
It's really a toss-up for me between "Spanglish" and "Punch-Drunk Love" for the title of absolutely most godawful movie ever made...
October 14, 2009 9:58 AM