When I was asked to review this DVD, a smile came across my face. I loved Adam Sandler skits on Saturday Night Live. I was also a fan of some of his earlier movies like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore (Though I can’t say I am a fan of Eight Crazy Nights, but everyone has at least one film that they wonder why the person did it later on). I still quote lines from these movies. Yeah, say what you want about that… I still find it and him funny. Go grab a Snack Pack and sit down with me to review The Best of Adam Sandler!
Cough Ok so you pick up the DVD and do what most people do… Turn it around to view the back. A list of twenty sketches stares you in the face, but what is that? Opera Man is listed four times? Apparently they needed to fill the back of the case. That said, you will see quite a bit of Opera Man. It is one of the best characters he had on the show, and probably the one he played the most often. I think the best part is when he is in the middle of singing, he cracks a smile, and tries not to laugh at what he is singing about. The best comedy is the stuff that the comics performing also find funny.
This would not be a “Best of” without the Canteen Boy skit. Here we have Adam Sandler playing the Canteen Boy who is a late 20 something year old Boy Scout, and Alec Baldwin playing a Boy Scout Leader, Mr. Armstrong. They are out in the middle of the woods, and sitting around a campfire with other “boys” (R.I.P. Chris Farley, you were an amazing performer, thanks for all the laughs). The boys are dismissed to go to their tents, but Mr. Armstrong keeps Canteen Boy by the fire. This is where he makes several… “advances” towards Canteen Boy. You can see how badly Adam Sandler wanted to crack up laughing at Alec Baldwin, and with good reason. He takes this role to the max, and it was the best skit on this disc, and one of my favorite SNL skits of all time.
Another extremely laughable skit was Schmitts Gay. Enter two men who are house sitting for someone (Adam Sandler and Chris Farley). They go in the back of the house to find an empty, disgusting pool… Till Adam Sandler turns on the water. The whole thing transforms into this gorgeous pool, but wait… What is that?! Hot men? In speedos?! Cut to Adam Sandler and Chris Farley, they do the whole “YES!” hand motion, and start dancing around with the men. They get a little suggestive, all the while drinking Schmitts Gay beer. It turns into a whole typical beer commercial, except with gay men in speedos. Hillarious!
Also, this would not be complete without his signature songs. You will have his full skit with the Hanukkah Song, and in the “extras” you have the Thanksgiving Song and Red Hooded Sweatshirt. And the song list wouldnt be complete without the Lunch Lady Song. The original skit was pretty hilarious. You got a few of the SNL cast members dressed as different food items, but then Chris Farley in the front, dressed as a lunch lady, dancing around Adam Sandler. Again, one of the best things is seeing Adam Sandler trying not to laugh at how extreme Chris got with his character. Including him snuggling with a cast member dressed up as a sloppy joe at the end of the song.
Video
This video is presented in the 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio. Remember Saturday Night Live? Great, groovy, super. It’s the same exact thing. It’s been about 15 years since Adam Sandler has been in this show (91-95) and it is about as good as you would expect. There is some grain here and there but nothing that will detract you from finishing the sketches.
Audio
As expected, the audio is the original Dolby Digital 2.0. The dialog is fairly clear and don’t expect any surround effects unless you count the laughter and applause from the studio audience. Again, it’s standard fare and one who has heard these sketches from almost 20 years ago should get what they expect.
Special Features
- Additional Sketches: Seven extra sketches with Adam Sandler. To be honest, they should have just put these with the rest, cause calling them “Special Features” is just sloppy, almost as sloppy as a sloppy joe.
- Photos: About a dozen or so still shots of Adam Sandler in his various costumes and characters.
Final Comments
This is the part of the review where we are gonna call the marketing people, and hang up on them. Of course if you are an Adam Sandler fan, you are going to at least watch this, if you have not seen it through its dozen releases already. The fact that they threw on a new cover, and put it in a really crappy eco case (I seriously loathe these things, don’t quote me, but next they will be sold in a plastic sleeve similar to what you get sent DVD’s in for Netflix), doesn’t change the content that was already there in the past. If you have not already seen this content, go for it, it’s quite a laugh. But do I suggest you run out and buy it? Nah, go ahead and either hit Netflix or your local used shop if you feel the need to own it anyways.
Sketch List (As Printed on Back)
Christmas Song Cold Open
Gap Girls
Schmitts Gay
Opera Man (1)
Canteen Boy
Hanukkah Song
The Denise Show
Springsteen
Room Service
Opera Man (2)
Zagat
Cajun Man
Lunch Lady Song
Opera Man (3)
Grandma
Halloween Costumes
The Herlihy Boy
Iraq Pete
Opera Man (4)
Closing Credits
