One would have never expected to hear the names Adam Sandler and Mark Twain uttered in the same sentence. Yet, the Sandman has been given one of the highest honors in comedy, the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. Yes, the wit behind the great debate of whether shampoo or conditioner is better now holds a coveted humor prize.
While the merits of Adam Sandler’s humor can be debated (OK, we love him!), some of his closest comedians friends took the opportunity to take jabs at Sandler and his movies. Conan O’Brien, who previously honored Lorne Michaels and Will Ferrell, said, “Have you asked yourself why so many of Adam’s friends were available? Because if Adam isn’t working, they aren’t working,” a poke at Sandler casting so many of his buddies in his movies.
Ben Stiller, who worked with Adam Sandler on The Meyerowitz Stories, said, “His work feels effortless. 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 go with it.” One of Sandler’s writing partners noted the honoree has been in “31 motion pictures with a combined Rotten Tomatoes score of 59.”
Sandler, expectedly, took it all in a stride. During his speech to officially accept the Mark Twain prize, Adam Sandler said, “I think the reason [bad movie reviews] didn’t hurt me is because so many in this room have made me feel good about what we did together…[they] make me feel like the critics didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.” Sandler has spoken out against critics before, saying he stopped listening to them after Billy Madison came out.
Sandler seems to be in a bit of a resurgence as of late. In addition to winning the Mark Twain honor, Adam Sandler also received a lifetime achievement award at last year’s Gotham Awards, something even he didn’t think made sense, reading a fake letter from his daughters that read, “It means a lot to [our dad] seeing that most of the awards on his trophy shelf are shaped like popcorn buckets, blimps, or fake mini-Oscars that say ‘Father of the Year’…”
The Mark Twain Award for American Humor has been given out since 1998. Past recipients include Richard Pryor, Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Carol Burnett, and Bill Murray, putting Adam Sandler in some pretty iconic company.
You can see Adam Sandler receive the Mark Twain Award for American Humor on Sunday, March 26th on CNN.
Do you think Adam Sandler is deserving of the Mark Twain Award for American Humor? What is your favorite Sandler movie? Let us know below
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed