Adam Sandler handled his recent Oscar snub with surprising class (although we may very well see Fart Vacation as a future revenge flick), but his Uncut Gems performance is not going unrewarded. The Billy Madison thespian was a favorite at this week’s AARP awards show, which is literally titled the Movies for Grown Ups Awards. Conan O’Brien presented Sandler the Best Actor award for his hypnotic and tumultuous performance in the Safdie Brothers’ movie, but of course, this was no standard handing-over-of-the-award event. Nope, Sandler got his butt handed to him.
The TBS late-night host took great joy in roasting the hell out of Sandler, beginning with a declaration that the actor stepped up to the stage too soon. “What’s wrong with you?” he mockingly exclaimed. “How long have you been in show business?” Things only rolled downhill from there:
“Now I am thrilled because finally filmmakers are getting to see the real Adam Sandler. I’ve known him a long time, he is not acting. This movie is a documentary and a desperate, desperate cry for help.
But Adam’s work is undeniably brilliant [in] this bold, risky character study, which has been compared to the work of a young Al Pacino, as well as a middle-aged Al Pacino, and a late in life Al Pacino.”
Oh boy. Somehow, O’Brien manages to rise (or sink, depending on your take) levels beyond the cattiness of Ricky Gervais, but it’s all somehow lovely because it’s coming from Coco. We should all be so lucky to earn a roasting from him at some point. Meanwhile, the Oscars are coming up on February 9. I hope Sandler crashes the stage in volleyball shorts and starts handing out Trulys while Kathy Bates looks on proudly.
