Adam Sandler has long been a national treasure, a comedic star and genius who’s good for a few cheap laughs, but not much more. While he’s consistently been funny throughout his career, most people would say that as an actor he hasn’t been particularly good. Sandler has sniffed awards-season gold a few times, though, including for his latest movie, Uncut Gems. His performance in that movie has both won him a number of awards and made him one of the year’s biggest Oscar snubs. In this essay, Ringer contributor Adam Nayman takes a look at the career of Adam Sandler, and breaks down exactly why he’s always been a good actor, from Billy Madison all the way to Uncut Gems.

Adam Nayman

Adam Nayman is a film critic, teacher, and author based in Toronto; his book ‘The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together’ is available now from Abrams.