39+ Fun Facts about the Best Adam Sandler Movies

Adam Sandler is one of Hollywood’s most successful comedic actors. From his role as Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy to his work in Uncut Gems as Howard Ratner, Sandler has shown that he can master any type of role. And with leading roles in more than 35 movies, Sandler has also been a huge name at the box office, grossing more than $3 billion in ticket sales from those films alone. 

But what makes him so unique? How much do fans really know about each of his movies? Let’s take a look at a few of the best Adam Sandler movies and uncover some fun facts about each of the productions.

Fun Facts about Adam Sandler’s Movies

Adam Sandler had already begun acting professionally by the time he was in college, with appearances on The Cosby Show, Remote Control, and even a game show on MTV. He would soon rise to fame on Saturday Night Live before launching into a series of incredibly successful films in the mid-90s, including Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. Both of these were box office successes due to their small budgets.

The Waterboy (1998)

• The Waterboy holds the record as the sports comedy film with the highest box office earnings of all time. Another Adam Sandler movie, The Longest Yard, takes the second-highest spot.
• Kathy Bates plays the role of Helen Boucher, a.k.a. Mama. One of the biggest reasons why she took the part was because she was urged by her niece, who was a big Adam Sandler fan.
• Sandler’s character’s love interest in this film is named Vicki Vallencourt. Adam Sandler has previously starred in two movies featuring leading ladies with the initials V.V. Specifically, Veronica Vaughn in Billy Madison (1995) and Virginia Venit in Happy Gilmore (1996).
•  This is the first movie that Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider would do together. The pair first met in Saturday Night Live and have since appeared in at least 18 films together. The list includes films like The Hot Chick (2002), You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008), and the Deuce Bigalow movies.

The Wedding Singer (1998)

• The Wedding Singer is the first of the three Adam Sandler movies where he co-stars with Drew Barrymore. So far, they have done one film for each of the last three decades. For the 1990s, there was The Wedding Singer, for the 2000s, there were 50 First Dates, and for the 2010s, there was Blended.
• Although Sandler received much praise for his acting in this film, he got no credit as a scriptwriter. Tim Herlihy did an excellent job with the script. However, Sandler also contributed to it, as did co-stars Carrie Fisher and Judd Apatow.
• Towards the film’s end, Billy Idol appears in a surprise cameo. The scene is with Sandler inside the airplane, and he plays himself.

Big Daddy (1999)

• In the scene where Julian, played by Cole and Dylan Sprouse, receives a root beer from a waitress, the actress who played the waitress would eventually become Adam Sandler’s wife. After this, Jackie Sandler would appear in a cameo in almost all movies starring her husband.
• While still in production, The Waterboy was released and did exceptionally well at the box office. This gave the team more funding, which allowed for the expansion of scenes. Steve Buscemi and Rob Schneider also got bigger roles because of this.
• During an argument at the film’s start, Sonny’s girlfriend tells him, “The delivery guy is like your best friend.” The delivery guy in the movie is played by Rob Schneider, who is Sandler’s real-life best friend.
• This film is the last comedy that Sandler did before he created his own production company Happy Madison Productions.

Little Nicky (2000)

• Sandler’s dog, Meatball, is the son of the dog who played Mr. Beefy in the film. At Adam Sandler’s wedding, Meatball was his best man.
• Reese Witherspoon plays Nicky’s mother in the film. In reality, Witherspoon is almost ten years younger than Sandler.
• This is his father’s favorite of all the movies in Adam Sandler’s career. Sandler reveals this bit of info in one of his songs.

Anger Management (2003)

• When Anger Management was released, Sandler donated copies to the US military bases that supported Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom in the Persian Gulf. The special copies came with an intro message from Sandler, where he thanked the troops for all their work.
• Jack Nicholson gives an excellent performance as Dr. Buddy Rydell. Sandler’s original choice for the role was Eddie Murphy. Other considered actors included Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Dustin Hoffman, and Bill Murray.
• Five members of the cast – Gina Gallego, Allen Covert, John Turturro, and Sandler – had also appeared a year earlier in another Sandler film, Mr. Deeds (2002).

50 First Dates (2004)

• Lucy, played by Drew Barrymore (in her second co-starring role with Sandler), suffers from a condition called Goldfield Syndrome. This is not an actual neurological condition.
• Of the three Adam Sandler’s movies where he co-starred with Barrymore to date, this was the only one that made number one at the box office. It grossed close to $200 million worldwide.
• When Ula, played by Rob Schneider, tees off, Sandler says it is the “stupidest flippin’ swing I’ve ever seen.” It was actually an imitation of the swing that Sandler famously did as Happy in Happy Gilmore.
• The original title for this film was 50 First Kisses. They changed it as it might have caused confusion with Barrymore’s recent film, Never Been Kissed.

Grown Ups (2010)

• The original release of this film was supposed to be in the 1990s, with Chris Farley in the co-starring role. With Farley’s death, the project was shelved for over a decade. Production finally commenced, and Farley’s role went to Kevin James.
• Sandler’s four co-stars for this film were Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, and David Spade. After the film premiered, Sandler gifted each of them a brand-new Maserati.
• Sandler’s family appears in cameo roles in the film. His wife Jackie plays the wife of Richie Minervini’s character, Tardio. The couple’s two children in the film are Adam and Jackie’s real daughters.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

• Unlike other animated films where actors recorded their dialogue individually, the lead voice actors came together for the recording sessions. Director Genndy Tartakovsky thought it better to record the lines just like a live-action film.
• Several big stars were considered for voicing the character of Dracula before Adam Sandler got the role. The long list included Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Johnny Depp, Vin Diesel, Ryan Gosling, and many more.
• Dracula’s wife is voiced by Adam Sandler’s wife, Jackie. His daughter Sadie provides the voice for the infant Mavis.

Pixels (2015)

• Ludlow Lamonsoff, played by Josh Gad, is the genius obsessed with a conspiracy theory in the film. The name Lamonsoff is a surname used in almost all of Sandler’s Happy Madison movies. It is a tribute to Eric Lamonsoff, Sandler’s roommate in college, who sometimes appears in his films in cameo roles.
• In Pixels, Sandler continues with his tradition of having female lead characters with the initials V.V. In this movie, Michelle Monaghan plays the role of Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten.
• This would be the last of Adam Sandler’s movies that were released in theaters for the next few years. He continues to make films—however, most premiere on Netflix. 

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

• This sequel was released only three years after the first Hotel Transylvania film. But the events of this film happen seven years after the original movie. Dracula’s age by this time is 539 years, Mavis’s age is 125 years, and Jonathan’s is 28 years.
• In the film, both Johnny and Dennis have red hair. According to ancient Greek beliefs, red hair indicates that a person would become a vampire after death.
• This film is the tenth film where Sandler and Kevin James appeared as co-stars. It was also their second feature film together in 2015.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

• This is the last film in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, where Sandler plays Dracula. It is also the last where his daughter plays Winnie and where Kevin James plays Frankenstein. In the next installment, they were replaced by Brian Hull, Zoe Berri, and Brad Abrell.
• In the scene in the Bermuda Triangle, a few of the boats that famously disappeared in the triangle were featured.
• In Mexican folk legend, the Chupacabra is a monster that drinks goat blood. The name literally means goatsucker. In the bar scene where the Chupacabra asks for a drink, the bartender hands him a goat in a glass.

Uncut Gems (2019)

• By 2019, Adam Sandler’s movies usually earn him a paycheck of around $20 million. However, his salary for Uncut Gems would have been much smaller since the total budget for the film was only $19 million.
• Sandler was offered the role of Howard Ratner twice before he finally accepted. Sandler’s wife was the one who convinced him to do the part, after watching Good Time.
• Sandler donned a fake mole on his right cheek as part of his portrayal of the role. He also wore false teeth.

Wondering what the upcoming Adam Sandler movies are? Next, he’ll appear in Spaceman opposite Kunal Nayyar and Carey Mulligan. The sci-fi drama, which Johan Renck directs, is expected to release on Netflix sometime in 2023.

Additionally, he’ll lend his voice to Leo in the animated comedy Leo. The project is currently in post-production, but it’s expected to release on Netflix on November 22, 2023.