10 Ways Adam Sandler Can Get His Swag Back

There's a reason why we can't get very excited for That's My Boy, and it's not Vanilla Ice's presence in it.

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Adam Sandler's early comedies Billy Madison (1995) and Happy Gilmore (1996) replay incessantly on cable television, and with good reason. Endlessly quotable and always funny, they  represent the kind of innocently moronic Hollywood comedies that aren’t made often these days. Sadly, when you watch those movies now, the viewing process is frequently disrupted by thoughts of, “Damn, I miss this guy.”

We feel your pain. Nowadays, in the wake of Sandler’s worst movie thus far in his 23-year-career, the 2011 embarrassment Jack and Jill, the proposition of a new Adam Sandler comedy sounds more like a threat than a promise. And he only has himself to blame, since all of the multimillionaire’s projects come from his Happy Madison Productions, and bear his dirty fingerprints.

The latest example is That’s My Boy, an R-rated flick co-starring fellow Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg as the well-to-do son of a deadbeat, partying father (Sandler) who conceived the kid when he was in grade school, with his teacher, no less. Admittedly, That’s My Boy, directed by Sean Anders (who co-wrote Hot Tub Time Machine and She's Out of My League), does look like it could potentially be the funniest Sandler film since Funny People (2009), but that doesn’t dismiss its undeniable air of predictability.

Blame it on those Billy Madison re-airings, but we still have hope that our once-favorite comedic actor can make us become dedicated fans again. Here are a few suggestions to help his, as well as our, cause: 10 Ways Adam Sandler Can Get His Swag Back.

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

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Get a new set of friends.

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Delete Dennis Dugan's phone number and email.

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Remember that those fake movie concepts in Funny People were just that: fake.

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Think outside the box when casting the next romantic comedy's female lead.

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Give cable TV a try.

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Go back on the road for a lo-fi stand-up tour.

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Do a one-season stint back on Saturday Night Live.

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Take a few years off and push for that one great idea.

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Give Paul Thomas Anderson a call.

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Act like he gives a shit once again.

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