Why Are You, Adam Sandler?

Posts have been a bit rare 'round here lately.  I've been working on a longer piece I hope to have up in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I'm going to recommend Steven Hyden's recent article at Grantland.com (a site I'm reluctantly coming around to liking) exploring Adam Sandler's long journey from the naive yet charming man-child we loved in Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison to the more aimless man-child we tolerated in Waterboy and Anger Management to the obscenely-wealthy-and-not-giving-a-shit man-child we wanted to retire in Grown-Ups, Jack and Jill, and, now, That's My Boy.  One might argue that he never really gave a shit.  As Hyden points out, it wasn't never so much that he said funny things--he just said them in a way that was kind of funny (compare to Will Ferrell, who, at the top of his game, usually managed/manages both).

And it's not as if Sandler's not aware or can't do better (Funny People provides proof enough against both).  He just has a good thing where he gets paid millions of dollars to play versions of himself in different careers in films that are filmed in his own mansion.  Guy's one step away from not even having to bathe and making bank for it.  I'm not going to blame a guy for grasping onto that.  But I can begrudge the ratio: there's nothing wrong with popping out an expensive turd once every few years in order to bankroll smaller projects that aren't putting food on the table.  Sandler seemed to be on this path at one point, but a quick glance through his filmography of the last decade shows that this has not been the case.  There was Punch-Drunk Love and Funny People, demonstrating that he has the ability and at least some of the interest to put some effort into his movies.  But on the vastly heavier side of the scale, we see the likes of 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard remake, Click, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Grown Ups (which is apparently getting a sequel?), Just Go With It, That's My Boy, and writing and producing credits on Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star and I don't care if Sandler thinks it's fair to include it--he lost the high moral ground when he attached his name to that one. 


All of which leads me back to my original question: Why are you, Adam Sandler?  And why do you insist on making us sad?