Adam Sandler has been a making movies for over 30 years.
In Billy Madison, Billy Madison is only 27.
(We are all so old.)
After a very successful stint on Saturday Night Live, Sandler quickly found huge box-office success — although not always critical praise — headlining a series of comedies. That success continues to this day.
He launched his own (also quite successful) production company, Happy Madison Productions, and cranked out films at a clip of one or two every single year. In 2024, he passed 50 film roles. (For a guy with a reputation among some reviewers as a “lazy” actor — just Google that phrase to see what I mean — he sure works a lot.)
Thirty-plus years in the business and 50-plus performances feels like a pretty good time to stop and take stock of Sandler’s filmography as a whole. Certainly his work has not always been the most popular with cinephiles.
On the other hand, critics seem to have warmed significantly to his work in recent years, thanks to a combination of longevity and a more eclectic series of roles. (He’s no longer just playing an endless string of likable schlubs; sometimes he plays unlikable schlubs now, too!)
I wanted to see how Sandler’s work has … well, matured feels like a bad word choice, given the topic. So let’s say how it’s aged. So I watched or revisited every single one of those 50-plus movies over the past few months.
Does Sandler get a bad rap as a filmmaker? (Sometimes yes! Other times no!) Is he funny? (Sometimes, yes! Other times, no!) Is he a better actor than he’s given credit for? (Definitely.) The list below, ranked in order from the most painfully unfunny to brilliantly hilarious (and occasionally deeply poignant), represent my findings.
Note: This is not a complete list of films produced by Happy Madison, where Sandler frequently makes uncredited cameos in movies headlined by his friends and colleagues from the comedy world. That topic that probably deserves its own list (or maybe a Squid Game-esque reality show) down the line. For now, here is every movie with Sandler in a key role, ranked from worst to best…
Every Adam Sandler Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
Adam Sandler has been a part of our lives for more than 30 years now, and he has appeared in dozens of films. We watched and ranked every single one.
Gallery Credit: Matt Singer
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