Steve Buscemi and others came out to honor Adam Sandler

Remembering Mark Twain: A Memoir of Mark B. Sandler, Actor, Writer, and Spectator

According to the Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Prize “recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, bestknown as Mark Twain.”

Sander’s movie credits include Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Grown Ups, Big Daddy, The Wedding Singer and the Netflix films Hustle and The Meyerowitz Stories. He has a career that includes writing, acting and producing.

Robert Smigel, who also met Sandler on SNL, weighed in on his brand of comedy. “He’s a creative genius. Smigel said on the red carpet that when he first joined SNL, he was so original that half the crew had no idea what he was doing. “Older people on the staff kind of thought he was just dumb. The person sounded dumb. His voices sound uneducated. But he’s one of the smartest guys and one of the most precise guys I’ve ever worked with.”

Critics over the years have been less enthusiastic about Sandler’s work. Mark Olsen wrote in The Los Angeles Times that he found the movie “bad taste and questionable intentions.” In 2008, NPR’s Bob Mondello wrote that his comedies, “take in millions, in inverse proportion to the wit of their scripts.” The film star stopped reading reviews early in his career.

The positive reviews of his dramatic performances show that he is more than a comedy plagiarist. Glenn Kenny wrote in the New York Times that the actor had a “revelation” in The Meyerowitz Stories. The Los Angeles Times said that it was “one of Scott’s warmest portrayals as a former athlete turned talent scout in a film.”

Sandler’s two daughters might be among those scratching their heads at the announcement that he’s won the honor. The Performer’s tribute was given to Sandler at the recent awards. He had the audience applauding when he said his daughters wrote the speech. “Daddy’s silly film career began in 1988, formed by two guiding principles: people in prison need movies too and TBS needs content.”

A bronze portrait of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt is going to be shown at the Kennedy Center in March.

In the 1990s, Sandler worked with number of now-famous comedians and actors on Saturday Night Live. Conan O’Brien is among them. At the ceremony, he poked fun at Sandler’s loyalty — he often works with the same team of writers and actors.

Buscemi has appeared in several of Sandler’s films. He took to the stage — and noted what Sandler has meant for his career: “Nobody makes me laugh like you and nobody has taken better care of me in this business than you. He does this for all his friends. He has done this for many people. I think it’s the best part of working with Adam, is that he just gets to hang out with you.