There's a moment at the end of Adam Sandler: Love You, his new meta Netflix stand-up special, that packs an emotional wallop. Guitar in hand, the comedy superstar sings a heartfelt appreciation for the craft he's conquered over the past four decades.
The song is a tribute to humorists past and present, as well as the healing power of laughter. Sandler, whose music is generally parody, sings the Springsteen-style ballad with a distinct earnestness. It's a fitting coda for a film where nothing is quite as it seems.
"Having the special end with this song is like saying, 'Hey guys, this s— is so much more important than we realize,'" says the special's director Josh Safdie, displaying some emotion as he considered the heavy moment. "We eventually see clips of all of the comedians who left us too early saying goodbye, and then the special ends with Sandler saying goodbye. It makes you realize we're all going to be leaving, too."
If this sincerity reads like a left turn for Sandler, you haven't been paying attention. The three-time GRAMMY nominee has volleyed from small screen triumph on "Saturday Night Live" to blockbuster films, and a prolific deal with Netflix which has so far resulted in eight films for him and his cadre of collaborators. Along the way, Sandler adventurously zig-zagged between the beloved sophomoric roles that have endeared him to audiences and heavier fare. The latter includes the acclaimed Uncut Gems, co-directed by Josh Safdie and his brother Benny.
Adam Sandler: Love You, out now, is another adventurous chapter that combines Sandler's distinctive voice with the singular, subversive attitude the Safdie brothers are known for.
Safdie approached capturing Sandler's latest standup act (which he's been touring across the country) all with an artful eye. "I wanted people to meet the Adam I know, [and] how special it is to know him and see the complexity behind him," says Josh. "He's a deep thinker and has a lot going on, so we started to build a narrative and what it could be. I've seen a lot of specials and loved messing with the medium."
Netflix was particularly supportive of their collective vision. "It was beautiful, and I've actually never had such support in anything I've ever done," Safdie gushes.
Below, Adam Sandler details inspirations and the healing balm of laughter.
What were some early comedy albums and specials that inspired you?
We put a lot of them in the song at the end, everything that connected with me as a kid. But comedy album-wise, Cheech and Chong's were gigantic in my life. I loved listening to Bob Newhart and Monty Python. Rodney Dangerfield had a massive impact on me, as well as Eddie Murphy's albums. Andrew Dice Clay and Steven Wright.
For me and my friends, they meant so much to us when we were growing up, quoting and talking about them. So I liked the old stuff my father would buy for us, and I liked the stuff my father would.
You're a three-time GRAMMY nominee. Do you have any memories of the ceremonies?
I don't know if I was there for my actual categories, but I've been to the GRAMMYs a bunch of times over the years and have always had a great time. I remember one year introducing Dave Matthews Band. I also remember going to [the Clive Davis Pre-GRAMMY Gala] when I was young.
Somehow I was invited with my friends, and Whitney Houston went up and sang a couple of tunes and I'll never forget what that room felt like. Like, Holy s—. This woman is better than everybody. It was the most undeniable feeling, it was better than anything I've ever heard live. The way she held every note was knocking us on our ass. She also was so sweet on stage and nice to Clive; it was the most charisma [you could imagine]. I'll never forget that night.
That must be like watching Leonardo Da Vinci paint "The Last Supper" in real time.
Yes, it was iconic. She was just so beautiful and sweet, and I can't tell you what it meant to that room. It was unanimous. Like, Wow!
Still from Netflix's Adam Sandler: Love You. Adam Sandler (R) and Rob Schneider (L) performing at the Nocturne Theater in Glendale, California.
Comedy and music have always been intertwined in your career; was that always a given for you? How'd you make the decision to start incorporating parody songs into your act over the years?
I started doing stand-up when I was really young. I was just 17 and so intimidated by being on stage that I really couldn't get my confidence. I was shaky and my voice was trembling. Like, What am I doing up here? I was in a band growing up and always playing cover tunes from Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Black Sabbath; I had a lot more confidence singing other people's stuff.
So my brother said to me one day, "Why don't you bring the guitar on stage and write funny songs?" Tim Herlihy, my roommate at New York University, just started knocking songs out, writing them and saying "Try this!" So when I'd be on stage singing a comedy song when I was a teenager, that was the only part of my show where I felt a little more calm on stage. With my guitar I had something in my hands, and knew exactly what I was going to say because I had the lyrics.
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How did you collaborate with Josh on this project, who directed you to acclaim with his brother Benny in Uncut Gems?
I wanted to make a special, since I had enough stuff from being on the road. I thought, Man, maybe it's time to document this.
Josh has always been nice enough to come out and see the show a bunch of times wherever we were on tour. I love Josh so much and thought, maybe he'd want to direct it. I think it was pretty quick. The next thing I know, he had an amazing amount of ideas.
Still from Netflix's Adam Sandler: Love You. Adam Sandler (L) and Josh Safdie (R) at the Nocturne Theater in Glendale, California.
One of the most important choices when putting together a special is how you start and end it. Love You begins with you backstage with everybody wanting a piece of you, and the Nicolette Larson cover of Neil Young's "Lotta Love." Where did that come from?
The truth is, when you're going to a show and you're alone in your car on the way, you try to play music that puts you in the mood you'd want to bring to an audience. ["Lotta Love"] is heartbreaking, but you're yearning for something positive to give an audience.
So I'll always listen to tunes that put me in the right frame of mind. But no matter what, by the time I get to the stage the song [and those vibes] get lost! So I try to remember the energy. Every performer is trying to bring on that energy and try to remember what you wanted to give an audience.
The special ends with a song that doubles as an earnest thank you to all of the comedians who've made us laugh over the years. For someone like you to express that is important, because comedians are often taken for granted. What was your inspiration for ending the special with such heart?
There are so many different ways [that] I can answer that. We were on the road for a long time playing the song about Chris Farley everywhere. I loved performing it and feeling the connection the audience had with Chris and the vibe — to make an audience go there doesn't happen very often as a performer. I think me, Josh,and [co-writer] Dan Bulla always talked about what made us feel throughout our life, and dropping jokes from the past and quoting stuff that meant a lot to us.
We wanted to make a song that said "thank you" and what comedy does for us and everybody, and where would we be without it? It's this thing that takes you out of the dark to say, It's gonna be alright. Let's have [someone like] Jerry Lewis lift us out.
I'm thinking of my personal memories of laughter in my family. Do you have your own recollections?
Seeing your family connect over something, like having the same sense of humor, is an amazing feeling.
When I was a kid, my grandfather who I was very close with passed away. The day after, my uncle drove in from New York to our house in New Hampshire and I was upset the whole night. I was crying my eyes out all night and he heard about it. So I was in my room watching a Jerry Lewis movie on my brother's TV and my uncle came in to check on me and asked what I was smiling about, and I said, "Oh, I was watching the Jerry Lewis movie."
I never forgot what Jerry was doing for me; he was taking me out of the pain I was feeling about my grandfather and allowed me to smile again. It was a break from the pain and that's what we wanted to show what comics do. You got real shit going on and you're always going to have it going on, but it's nice to have someone out there say, We know what you're dealing with, but you're allowed to have some fun too.
It's an emotional moment for the audience; how did you hold yourself together performing it?
When I'd sing it I had a hard time not crying. Some of that stuff would rock me in my brain and I'd feel stuff that I couldn't believe I was feeling. I'm just happy we got it and I'm happy it's on there for people to see. I'm very honored to sing that song and show everybody what my feelings are towards all of these comedians meant to me over the years.
It's basically true thoughts: comedy is like a hero. You may be down and out, but hang on: comedy is going to bring you out of that. So, there you go.