Summary

• Sandler's serious roles highlight his versatility, balancing dark elements with comedic brilliance throughout his career.
• From SNL to serious films, Sandler's journey showcases his growth as an actor, expanding his range and winning critical acclaim.
• Sandler excels in dramatic performances, like in 'Uncut Gems,' proving his talent beyond traditional comedy roles, captivating audiences.

This article contains discussion of suicide.

As a performer, he is frequently written off as little more than comic relief, but a handful of serious Adam Sandler movies showcase what a talented actor he is. Additionally, not every comedic role he takes lacks serious and tension-filled moments. Sandler's ability to balance darker elements in his comedic work foreshadowed the recognition as an actor he has gained in his career, making him one of the most versatile performers around.

Sandler got his start playing small bit roles on television, but his big break was on Saturday Night Live in 1990, where he stayed until 1995. After that, he transitioned into films, but it wasn't until the late '90s that he began being taken more seriously. In recent years, he has expanded his productions to You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023), and has begun being lauded for his contributions to comedy and drama. It's clear that through his success, Sandler has grown more comfortable taking on outside-the-box roles and making them his own.

8 Big Daddy (1999)

Sandler Plays A Slacker Who Becomes A Father Figure

Despite winning a Razzie for his performance, most fans agree this is a strong effort by Sandler.

Big Daddy is a film that highlights Sandler's paternal instincts as well as hints at the range that he shows throughout his career. The dramedy follows Sonny (Sandler) as a down-on-his-luck man who suddenly finds a 5-year-old boy (Cole and Dylan Sprouse) on his doorstep one day. After learning that the child's father is his roommate, Kevin (Jon Stewart), Sonny tries to take on the role while Kevin is away and becomes responsible.

Sonny starts the film as a typical Sandler character since he's a slacker with little drive in his life. However, Sandler showcases the love Sonny develops for the kid in a way that he hadn't displayed on the big screen to that point. Though Kevin eventually gains custody of his son, Sonny is changed by the experience, and Sandler is shown growing as a performer at the halfway point between light and dark. Despite winning a Razzie for his performance, most fans agree this is a strong effort by Sandler.

7 Funny People (2009)

Sandley Plays A Comedian Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer

In a film with loose roots in Sandler's own life, Funny People stars Sandler as George, a comedic movie star who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. After being told his prognosis, he goes back to doing stand-up comedy, where he got his start, and starts a friendship with Ira (Seth Rogan), a young comedian. Funny People is a dark comedy that portrays George as a complicated and, at times, unlikable man, who takes a long time to learn from his mistakes.

Unlike a lot of the goofier comedies in Sandler's filmography, Funny People allows him to play a layered person rather than the one-dimensional characters seen in some of those films. Deciding to play this role shows Sandler's self-awareness and humility in the face of the harsh critical reception his comedy films often receive. It's not as funny as most Sandler comedies but Sandler balances the heavy emotional scenes with the funny aspects in a way that few can match.

6 Men, Women & Children (2014)

Sandler Plays A Man In A Failing Marriage

In Men, Women & Children, Sandler plays Don, a man struggling in his marriage while also navigating how technology has changed the world. The film follows the stories of several characters in the ensemble cast, but Sandler's story is a grounded one that stands out. Don and his wife, unhappy in their marriage, both have affairs and end up confronting each other about them.

Even if the film did not receive the best critical and audience reception, the performances by Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, and several other cast were high points. In playing a man in a struggling marriage who is also trying to be a good father, Sandler is believable, and he does a lot with the anti-technology themes of the film to make the viewer connect with them. Men, Women, & Children is one of Sandler's more underrated films but if you're looking for his serious performances, it's a hidden gem.

5 Reign Over Me (2007)

Sandler Plays A Doctor Who Lost His Family In The 9/11 Attacks

After losing his family in the attacks on September 11, 2001, Charlie (Sandler) is grieving, and looking for reasons to hold on to life. When he runs into his friend from college, Alan (Don Cheadle), it's exactly what both men need in their lives to start fresh and move forward. The actors have excellent chemistry and play well off of each other in a film with such dark themes, also finding ways to include some levity in their banter.

Sandler takes on the role of a man overcome by loss who feels he doesn't have much to live for. In a tragic scene in the movie, Charlie attempts suicide through a police officer and this leads to legal proceedings that encom much of the remainder of the film. Through the courtroom scenes, and Charlie's re-connection with the parents of his dead wife, Sandler carries much of the film. Though not always easy to watch, Sandler gives an empathetic performance.

4 Uncut Gems (2019)

Sandler Plays A Gambler In Over His Head

Uncut Gems is a whirlwind and anxiety-inducing film. Sandler plays Howard, a gambling addict who makes continuously risky choices to win big on one of his bets. As an actor, Sandler disappears completely into this role and all that's left is a man with little to like about him, but with a compelling story. Written and directed by the Safdie brothers, Sandler proves to be an excellent collaborator and muse for the film. There is a strong argument to be made that Uncut Gems Adam Sandler's best dramatic performance.

Sandler's performance makes it impossible to know what wild decision Howard will make next

Not only managing his addiction, Howard is also caught between his wife (Idina Menzel), and his girlfriend (Julia Fox). As well as a myriad of lone sharks and businessmen he's been making deals with. It feels as though the tension will never stop mounting, and Sandler's performance makes it impossible to know what wild decision Howard will make next. His eventual fate is shocking, but in retrospect, Howard was on the path to end up where he did. Many believe that Sandler was snubbed for an Oscar nomination, though he did take home the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

3 Hustle (2022)

Sandler Plays An NBA Scout On His Last Shot

Directed by Zagar and co-produced by Sandler, Hustle is one of the best basketball movies ever made. It has elements of comedy, but its dramatic moments are where Sandler shines. He plays Stanley, a basketball scout who meets an unpredictable, but very talented player, named Bo (Juancho Hernangomez), and convinces him to return to America to the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout the film, it becomes clear that the most important aspect is the relationship between the two men.

When the 76ers don't hire Bo, Stanley prepares him for the NBA Draft, and the pair grow closer and reveal their secrets to build trust. Stanley begins to shine as a coach, and Bo as a player, and, in the end, each gets what they have been hoping for in their careers. This role was an excellent step for Sandler to take his paternal impulses and apply them to a larger dramatic setting. Additionally, Hustle levels up from the other sports films Sandler has been in that were on the sillier side, like Happy Gilmore (1996). His efforts here earned Sandler a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

2 The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) (2017)

Sandler Plays A Divorced Man Who Moves In With His Father

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach is known for his understated family dramas, and The Meyerowitz Stories is no exception. As Danny Meyerowitz, the oldest child of the family, Sandler matches his performance to the tone, with soft-spoken reservation. This is quite a departure from the larger-than-life characters that Sandler typically takes on, as he paints a picture of a man who feels overlooked and has difficulty expressing himself. It once again displays the underrated versatility of the actor

Danny and his siblings are brought back together for a celebration of their father's (Dustin Hoffman) career, but he falls ill during this time, which creates an emotional closeness in the family. Though each child has their own dysfunction, as does their father, Danny is one of the most compelling as he has a child of his own, and wants to do right by her. In this role, Sandler is almost unrecognizable, if not for the sensitivity seen throughout all his work.

1 Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Sandler Plays An Entrepreneur With Social Anxiety

Sandler landed the sole Golden Globe nomination of his career for this performance

Punch-Drunk Love is widely considered Sandler's best work and is a highly regarded film. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film follows Barry (Sandler), a man looking for love and companionship who suffers from social anxiety. He eventually meets, and falls in love with Lena (Emily Watson), though their budding relationship is complicated by a group of men trying to extort him. Fortunately, all ends well, and Barry and Lena can overcome the obstacles to be together. Punch-Drunk Love reinvents romance tropes but still delivers all the right romantic beats.

Punch-Drunk Love is a large part of what made audiences and filmmakers realize that Sandler had much more in him than comedy. He portrays Barry as an extremely complex and sympathetic man and does so with an incredible balance of dignity and humility. Sandler landed the sole Golden Globe nomination of his career for this performance. There are moments in the film when the tension rises, and the audience worries about Barry, but because of Sandler, it's impossible not to root for him.