If you take a look at Adam Sandler’s Instagram, it gives the impression that he doesn’t prioritise his online persona and would rather tend to his private life, only posting at max just under 10 posts a month or sometimes as low as just once a month. The posts are primarily promotional videos for upcoming projects, which tend to be quite formal - professionally photographed, filmed or edited, potentially indicating the help of hired professionals either by Sandler himself or the companies he collaborates with. It shows he likes to directly engage with his fans by keeping them updated, rather than waiting for the companies/distributors to make their announcements, it also tells us that he likes to do promotion himself, showing his personal care for his work and that his name carries weight in terms of advertising. Aswell as promos, the account heavily focuses on giving thoughts and prayers to actors or celebrities and their families, who had passed away recently at the time of posting, usually being people Sandler either worked with or looked up to and respected. This gives a very personal perspective to the account and creates the image that Adam is a very down-to-earth, thoughtful and caring person.
Sandler’s page is also dedicated to posts celebrating various holidays throughout the year, including Veteran’s Day, Jewish New Years, 911 Memorial Day, 4th July, Memorial Day and Father’s Day. This creates a very patriotic look for Sandler and makes him come appealing to your average working-class conservative or conservative leaning person, as he seems more relatable supporting social issues which affect everyone and honour the past, whilst also not demeaning or alienating other people’s beliefs either.
Sandler however has been in some controversy for his ties to Isreal, especially in light of recent events. Sandler has always been openly Jewish, his parents were Jewish, and he’s made many movies were even the characters he plays are Jewish, for example, ‘Eight Crazy Nights’. After the October 7th attacks, many people have been critical of Israel for its war with Palestine in the Gaza strip. In 2015, as a response to the Israel Boycott supported by Numerous Celebrities such as Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, who labels himself as a firm anti-Zionist, Sandler stated, ‘I will always stand with Israel,’ further adding, ‘I can’t tolerate people who criticise Israel without walking in their shoes. I hate the lies they spread and their lack of knowledge. I’m proud to stand up for the Israelis.’ However, his recent statements are, ‘I pray for peace and the safety of innocent Israelis and Palestinians everywhere,’ and he has also signed a letter wanting ‘Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace,’. Adam’s current stance appears to be critical of Hamas and still pro-Israel, however he doesn’t agree with the killing of innocent Palestinians, nor Israelis.
Adam Sandler as a mixed range of songs in is discography, ranging from comedy skits to song covers and even some original pieces. The comedic aspects of his albums tend to be raunchier and more explicit than his movies, which tend to be PG-13. Adam also set out to make some Hanukkah songs as he felt that no good Hanukkah songs existed. This furthered his impression as a proud Jewish person and as a comedian, it also shows that he likes to sing, even singing on the majority of the songs on the soundtrack of the musical, ‘eight crazy nights,’ showing that he is multi-talented.
Adam Sandler has also taken on a wide variety of roles aimed at different demographics, starting off as a cast member of SNL from 1990-1995 and then becoming a famous comedian actor in roles in movies such as Billy Madison (1995) Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998). Sandler formed his own production company titled Happy Madison Productions in 1999, this means that Adam Sandler is an auteur as he usually has control over the style tone and other influences of his movies and often casts himself as the main character, with a reoccurring side cast of actors. The movies he produces are his creative expression. This creates the impression that Adam Sandler is a largely independent figure, making his own movies the way he wants to, creating a large brand around the identity of himself and the movies that are expected to come with it.
Adam Sandler has also been known to take on more serious roles and to do a surprisingly good job at it, including movies such as Punch-Drunk-Love 2002, which earned him a Golden Globe best actor nomination for his performance. More recently in December 2019, he starred in the crime thriller Uncut Gems, which received critical acclaim and many end of year awards from critics. His role in the movie was regarded as the best in his career and earned him the Independent Spirit Award For Best Male Lead. Roles like these prove Adam to be a Jack of all trades of sorts and capable of an all round performance, showing his versatility and diversity in acting, as he has previously admitted that some of his movies were made just to be an excuse to go on holiday. It also shows his ability to prove people wrong and to reinvent his image in terms of skill within the Hollywood circle and to be able to seamlessly transition between critically acclaimed serious performances to universally panned, straight-to- streaming comedies.
He has also subverted expectations by voicing in Kids movies, contrasting with the often vile or rude nature of his comedy in other movies. For example, voicing the main character Dracula in the Hotel Transylvania series or being in the Disney movie Bedtime Stories (2008) also aimed at a younger audience. More recently he was featured in the Netflix movie Leo which released in late 2023 was met with generally positive reception.
Adam being the producer or lead role in multiple children movies, show he can change his image as his humour, particularly in his live shows or stand-up specials, is known to be sexual in nature or over reliant on gross-out humour., which is inappropriate for children.
Adam Sandler is also quite renowned for his fashion sense, with many praising it for its humbleness and aesthetic very reminiscent of what a typical Dad would wear. People appreciate his look for being the antithesis of your regular Hollywood archetype who either wear designer clothes to looks as rich as possible or in more recent trends, wear designer clothes made to look like they are as poor as possible, often criticised as celebrities roleplaying as homeless people. Adam is praised for his clothing style being a subversion to what you would expect from someone worth nearly half a billion dollars. The baggy clothes and random assortment of sneakers, basketball shorts and oversized tops gives the vibe of wearing whatever he happened to find in the wardrobe, which people appreciate. Even news sources such as CNN mention in article how Adam Sandler has inadvertently become a fashion icon for Gen Z. This paired with a recent interview he did for a fan who stopped him in the street, were he explains that he simply likes to wear goofy clothes which stand out and appreciates shorts which extend past the knee and shoes that fit. The clip went viral with million of likes and comments sharing the sentiment that Adam Sandler may be the most humble Hollywood celebrity. Another clip which went viral was him mundanely walking around the streets of New York simply eating from a jar of pickles. The clip of Adam at an IHOP were when told there's a 30 minute wait time, he just walked away instead of using his fame to surpass the queue, matched by the firsthand accounts from other restaurants where it has been reported that he doesn't expect to be given the celebrity treatment and has only been polite, has earned him a lot of good-faith from fans.
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