While some may be bewildered by the decision to honor a sweatpants thug like Adam Sandler with a prestigious award like the Mark Twain Award for American Humor, you would be hard pressed to argue that he I don’t deserve that award. Comedian, actor, writer, producer and musician with over 80 films and seven albums. His work has grossed over $4 billion — and he is loved by everyone from your grandmother to your grandson. And like every Sandler film ever critically panned and cheered by audiences, the 2023 Mark Twain Awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center in DC on Sunday night felt like it was just an excuse for a A giant reunion for the famous goofy comedian-friend and genius.
The tenor of the evening was even less formal than the events of years past and more like a grilled comedy, the audience was even given a six-pack and pulled in the back. Sandler’s gang-laden truck on a spontaneous late-night road. trip. Perhaps the event’s producers have loosened the reins because this is the first year since its inception in 1998 that PBS has chosen not to do the show (it will air on CNN on Sunday, the 26th. March at 8 p.m. ET) — a bit that Idina Menzel mocked at her opening ceremony for Opera Man. Wearing a black robe with red satin trim and waving a white handkerchief, à la Sandler’s SNL character, Menzel sang that PBS decided “Suze Orman is the lowest we’re going…that’s why it’s on CNN-o!”
Conan O’Brien, who began his writing career at Saturday Night Live when Sandler was hired in 1990, kicked off the tribute by shouting loudly the elephant in the room: It’s great that so many people have made the trip to DC in honor of Sandler, but “have you wondered Why are there so many friends of Adam? Available? Because if Adam doesn’t work, they don’t work either.” However, O’Brien built his reputation by pointing out that Sandler never included him in any of his films, and so he “doesn’t owe him a damn thing.” “. Instead, O’Brien said he’s excited to help honor Sandler for “the first award he’s ever received where he’s never been fired,” as an American. has a huge sense of humour, who doesn’t preach, doesn’t condescend—“he gets frustrated in muck with us, laughing at himself.
Followed by a group of people chatting happily. Of his co-star from 2017 The Meyerowitz story, says Ben Stiller, “his job is easy. I don’t want to say ‘lazy’, because that’s not the right word… but I don’t have a better word right now, so let’s get on with it. Then Stiller began pitching another collaboration: “Let’s call it Grown Ups 3: There’s a new adult in town,” and presented his way through a so compelling and Sandler-esque storyline, filled with nauseating jokes and awkwardly humorous moments, that Kennedy Center audiences clapped. hand applauding a movie that doesn’t exist.
Judd Apatow, Sandler’s former roommate and longtime collaborator (he directed Sandler in the 2009 film Funny People), voiced a familiar sentiment, saying that the moment anyone met Adam, they knew he was going to be a huge star. After graduating from NYU, Sandler moved to LA and began to nurture a growing group of writers, collaborators, and comedians, all of which would go on to be wildly successful. “Obviously,” says Apatow, “the best job opportunity at NYU is living near Adam Sandler.”
Floating on stage, holding a glass of wine, expressing his character from Wedding singer, close friend Steve Buscemi said that his first impression of Sandler leaving slapstick comedies in favor of major independent dramas was, “Woah, woah, woah…stay. your lane, Waterboy.” (Luis Guzman, Sandler’s co-star in Love Punch, then goes on to talk about what the Sandler chameleon is, and how skillfully he shifts gears: “After five minutes of watching that movie, you’ll forget you’re watching Adam Sandler.”) But Buscemi did articulate what was echoed throughout the night by all the presenters: “It’s the best feeling in the world to be a part of your world. No one takes better care of me in this business than you.”
Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston — clearly two of the very few women cool enough to join the fraternity — shared the stage to happily talk about their deep friendship with Sandler. David Spade offered an eerie short before disappearing from the audience for most of the second half of the show. Pete Davidson — a last-minute addition to the list — shared that he first met Sandler as a child, when he auditioned for big dad. “Fortunately,” he said, “I didn’t get it, because now I can’t even handle fame.” Tim Herlihy, Sandler’s freshman roommate at NYU, who has now collaborated with him on “31 motion pictures with a Rotten Tomatoes composite score of 59,” says that, despite the seemingly obvious In addition to being comfortable, Sandler is one of the hardest working people in the school. business: “He makes hundreds of hours of work like going on vacation with his friends.” Even Sandler’s mother, Judy, and wife Jackie offered intimate views of the man who seemed to be beloved for generations.
Dana Carvey, a veteran actor at the time Sandler joined SNL, talked about how he was drawn to Sandler’s talent and humorous instincts, even when the network wasn’t there (Sandler was fired in 1995). After quickly fooling Trump and his impending arrest, colleague SNL co-star Chris Rock received one of the biggest reactions of the night when he pointed to Paul Pelosi in the stands and said, “Paul Pelosi is the only person here who knows how I feel — just you and me. Stop it, Paul!” He then talks about how, despite how quick and alluring Sandler seems to be, he always blends in and works artificially hard—something few people seem to influence. realize. “No one works as hard as Sandman! The people at the Oscars, man…they’re assholes.” And Rob Schneider, who shared his tenure at SNL with Sandler as well as many films, expressed admiration for Sandler’s talent and perseverance, saying, “If you tell enough people to go away, 30 years from now you’ll get one of these awards This.”
Accepting the award, Sandler trudged onto the stage in a suit that looked like someone had made him wear it (before, on the red carpet, Sandler admitted that he “would love to wear basketball shorts—guys, this suit. silly—but I think I was scolded a lot by a lot of my family members”). He then switched to one of his signature comedic accents and tried to keep a serious look on his face as he skimmed through the admission that it seemed like everyone in his life—from his siblings I went to comedy club owner, college friend to the love of his life— boosted his confidence and encouraged him to follow his dreams so he could grow from a boy Mom’s goofy baby into an actor and comedian has earned more than $4 billion at the box office. He then touched the bronze bust of Mark Twain gratefully and thoughtfully: “When I look at the silly prize I’m holding, I can’t help but think that this could be dance gas was used to hit me, by an angry intruder…or Mr. Rob Schneider.”
Sandler continued, “And when someone asks me: The bad reviews you get — how does that make you feel? The reason they don’t hurt me is because [my friends and I are having so much fun making these movies]. Everything we do together makes it feel like the critics don’t know what they’re talking about.”
