With roles in movies likeUncut GemsandHustle,Adam Sandlerhas shown that he can be a great dramatic actor, but no matter what he does for the rest of his career, he will bebest remembered for his man-child persona onSaturday Night Liveand in early film roles such asBilly MadisonandHappy Gilmore. Those movies were hits that are still popular today, but you can’t say they were exactly critically acclaimed. In the mid-90s, Sandler was bashed for his acting, but in 1998 that all changed thanks to arguablyhis first great movie,The Wedding Singer. It was all possible due to the addition of a strong female character, played byDrew Barrymore, and helped along by none other thanCarrie Fisher.
Many of Adam Sandler’s Early Movies Were Gimmicks Focused Only on Him
Before he was a movie star, Adam Sandler was already a household name thanks toSNLand his comedy albums, but he was an acquired taste. Younger people loved him, butolder audiences often found his humor immature. That opinion held when his film career started to blow up.1995’sBilly Madisonand 1996’sHappy Gilmorewere successful, but they had their critics.In his written review ofHappy Gilmore,Roger Ebertwrote, “The Happy Gilmore character is strange. I guess we are supposed to like him. He seems angry even when he’s not supposed to be, and his habit of pounding everyone he dislikes is tiring in a PG-13 movie.”
Happy Gilmore, likeBilly Madison, is a gimmick movie. What if Adam Sandler was childlike and had to go back to school? What if Adam Sandler wasa rage-filled golfer who foughtBob Barker?They were fun, but they had their limitations because the spotlight was solely on Sandler. In 2015, screenwriterTim HerlihytoldEsquire, “You look at the first movies, and there’s not a lot without Adam because we did test screenings, and they said, ‘Get rid of that scene.”
‘The Wedding Singer’ Gave Adam Sandler a Strong Female Co-Star
The Wedding Singercould have been another gimmick movie(what if we gave Adam Sandler a mullet and put him in the 80s?), but what separates it from the rest is how much heart the character of Robbie Hart has. He might be a wedding singer, but he’s also a kind soul who wants love. He finds it in Julia Sullivan (Barrymore), and it was adding her that took Sandler’s filmography to the next level.Sandler’s films had female characters, but never did they have such a strong women’s perspectivethat took over the screen.
What Drew Barrymore Brings to Adam Sandler Movies
Adam Sandler is one of the most talented comedic actors ever, but he’s at his absolute best when co-starring with Drew Barrymore.
With Drew Barrymore,The Wedding Singerdidn’t have to be all about Sandler. “Drew elevated things for us,” Herlihy told Esquire. In 1998, Barrymore was just as famous as Sandler, which helped to draw attention away from him when needed, but this role was a departure for the actor best known forE.T.and being a wild child who did things like the flashingDavid Lettermanon TV.InThe Wedding Singer, Julia is a sweet and kind woman, and we easily see why Robbie falls for her, but she’s no thinly written character. Julia has wants and desires. She’s strong, but she’s also fragile, as is shown by the bad relationship she’s in when we first meet her. Julia comes across as a real person and not a comedy punchline,and that’s due to Carrie Fisher.
Carrie Fisher Was a Script Doctor Who Helped Craft Drew Barrymore’s Character
Carrie Fisher will always be our Princess Leia fromStar Wars, but did you know thatshe was also a script doctor, the name given to writers who come in and punch up a weak script?She worked on big films such asHook,Sister Act,Lethal Weapon 3, andOutbreak. ForThe Wedding Singer, she got together with directorFrank Coracito take the film beyond its male-centric limitations. In aYahooretrospective, Coraci saidFisher “fleshed out the female roles,“while also raising the stakes of Robbie and Julia’s relationship:
“The trickiest thing about a romantic comedy is you pretty much know how it’s gonna end, so you have to try to make enough peaks and valleys and near-misses… You gotta [make the audience] think they’re not gonna be together.”
Carrie Fisher and Frank Coraci spent their days taking notes whilewatching classic romcoms likeBreakfast at Tiffany’s. AlthoughFisher’s draft of the script removed a lot of the comedy, which then had to be changed, she made the women stronger and more important. Coraci said, “She did that structural stuff that really saved our bacon in the second act.” Adam Sandler’s career only grew after the success ofThe Wedding Singer. While he still made more of those controversial man-child movies,working with Drew Barrymore showed that he could make a great moviewhenever he shared the spotlight with someone else.
The Wedding Singer
Robbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.
