While he may not be regarded as one of the great comedians of all time, whenever I think of American Humor, I can’t help but think of the comedy of Adam Sandler. Throughout my childhood, I was always so excited whenever another one of the great works of Sandler was released, such as Little Nicky or the enduring sports classic that is Happy Gilmore, not to mention his many years on arguably America’s most defining comedy show, Saturday Night Live.
While many may disregard Sandler’s humor as overly childish, immature, and occasionally outright stupid, I think that these aspects are a key part of our culture and an important facet in American Humor. A big part of American Humor I think is merely an attempt to relieve stress through laughing at societal conventions and I think Sandler’s movies do a particularly good job of providing such a comedic relief while at the same time critiquing American culture. Just to mention a couple, in Billy Madison, Sandler pokes fun at the complacency of America’s upper class and the resultant stupidity that is linked to such complacency and in Mr. Deeds, he makes a clear reference to the rags to riches tale, one of the most important stories linked to American society.
Throughout my blog I will be discussing and analyzing the humor, particularly American Humor, in the movies and other collections of Adam Sandler. With each blog I will discuss a different aspect of American Humor and American culture that is demonstrated in different Sandler comedies. In my next blog entry I will be discussing the comedic genius present in Billy Madison, one of Sandler’s earliest and I think funniest films.
