Adam Sandler laid his hand on Mark Twain’s bronze bust, speculating that it “one day might be the weapon used to smash me in my sleep.” Sandler received the Mark Twain Award for American Humor in front of a crowd of comedy and entertainment aristocracy at Washington’s Kennedy Center. Presenters such as Drew Barrymore, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, and Luis Guzmán praised Sandler’s creative endurance while also making light of his erratic film production and habit to cast all of his buddies in his films.
Tim Herlihy, Sandler’s longtime writing and production collaborator remarked that the two had “31 motion movies with a cumulative Rotten Tomatoes score of 59.” Buscemi, who is best known for dramatic and frequently violent performances, played a number of humorous characters in Sandler films. “He takes his comedy very seriously. I laugh hard at everything I do with him,” he said.
Apatow aired an old video he made of a young Adam Sandler prank-calling a local deli in his spare time to try out several humorous voices
Buscemi also singled out Sandler’s musical comedy, including The Chanukah Song, which became a multiplatinum hit. “His comedy songs alone deserve this reward,” he said. Judd Apatow, Sandler’s roommate during their early days in Los Angeles, recalled a young Sandler’s boundless confidence and obvious talent. “The moment you met him, you knew Adam was going to be a big star,” Apatow said. “And so did Adam.”
Apatow aired an old video he made of a young Sandler prank-calling a local deli in his spare time to try out several humorous voices to emphasize Sandler’s almost unlimited comedic energy. Sandler thanked his parents and brothers at the end of the night for instilling in him “that crazy illogical confidence thing that I guess I still have.” Sandler, 56, rose to prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Sandler launched a tremendously successful cinematic career after being ousted from the cast after a five-year run, spanning more than 30 films and grossing over $3 billion worldwide.
The ceremony will be broadcasted nationally on CNN on March 26
Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan are among Sandler’s biggest hits. Although he is best renowned for his slapstick comedy and giant man-child caricatures, he has also excelled in dramatic parts in films such as Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems. Guzman, who co-starred in “Punch Drunk Love,” revealed that he initially thought Sandler was “out of his depth” in a dramatic character written by Paul Thomas Anderson. He was impressed, though, and applauded Sandler’s “whole commitment to something that was so much out of his element.”
Notable comedians who have received the lifetime achievement award include Richard Pryor, who received it for the first time in 1998, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, and Dave Chapelle. Bill Cosby, the 2009 laureate, had his Mark Twain Award revoked in 2019 due to repeated sexual assault claims. SNL, the comedic institution, has contributed more than its fair share of the 24 Mark Twain honorees. Sandler joins Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Farrell, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, and Julia Louise-Dreyfus as the seventh member of the group to collect the award. Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, and producer, won in 2004.