“This guy is fucking better than me”: the 1999 movie that “terrified” Adam Sandler
Most people were surprised to discover that Adam Sandler was the star of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie when Punch-Drunk Love was released in 2002, doubting whether he was actually capable of proper acting beyond being involved in a lazy comedy.
However, his performance in the absurd comedy-drama about a lonely man looking for romance received rave reviews, and it unlocked a new side of Sandler to the public, wherein they realised, perhaps, there was more to him than what met the eye.
Even more interesting, however, is the fact that Anderson actually wrote the movie for Sandler, considering himself a big fan of the actor’s movies, which have never been the height of sophistication. But Anderson clearly isn’t a snob, nor did he look at Sandler and see a one-dimensional comic figure. He knew he had something that could be utilised in a more tragicomic setting.
But Sandler knew very little about Anderson when he first met him, and he had no idea that the filmmaker was one of the most acclaimed new artists of his generation, having recently found acclaim with Boogie Nights and Magnolia. When Nicole Kidman, the then-wife of Magnolia star Tom Cruise, hosted an episode of SNL, which Sandler was still involved with, he formed a friendship with Cruise, and it wasn’t long until he got a call from the actor, who wanted to introduce him to his director pal.
Sandler revealed on the SmartLess podcast, “Tom called me up, and he says, ‘I’m doing a movie with my friend Paul, and he’s a great director, and he’s interested in doing a movie with you. Can I put him on the phone?’” So, just like that, Sandler was in contact with Anderson, who expressed his admiration for the Happy Gilmore star.
“Paul was very nice, and he’s going, ‘Hey, I loved Billy Madison’. And I was like, ‘OK, thanks’, but I didn’t know who he was. He goes, ‘I just love your movies and your albums. Is it OK if I write you a movie?’ I said, ‘You can do whatever you want, man’. He was sweet. I could tell he was funny.’”
Anderson thus got to work on writing Punch-Drunk Love, and Sandler agreed to be the star. But he needed to scrub up on his knowledge of the filmmaker’s work first, so he went to see Magnolia, unaware that he’d be in for a rather confusing and intimidating time. The 1999 film saw Cruise star as a motivational speaker named Frank, estranged from his dying father, who was trying to find him. An ensemble cast of characters and their stories are interwoven with one another, and by the end of the three-hour movie, a shower of frogs rains down. It’s not exactly your bog-standard Hollywood blockbuster.
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“I went alone, and it was sold out, and I was in the front row, and I was looking up at it, and I was fucking terrified,” Sandler revealed, “I was going, ‘Oh, this guy is fucking better than me. I don’t want to fucking be in this. I’m going to ruin his movie! Holy shit!’ I called him up on the way home and was like, ‘Holy shit. I just saw your movie. Fuck. The frogs! So you’re writing that movie still?’”
Anderson was still positive that Sandler had what it took to be the star of his next film, so the actor decided to be brave, and it all worked out. The movie was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, while Anderson took home ‘Best Director’. Over two decades on, it still remains one of Anderson (and Sandler’s) most beloved works.
