# Has anyone not heard of Adam Sandler? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320 "2014-12-28T02:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/61 "2014-12-28T23:57:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And _50 First Dates_, _Spanglish_ and _Funny People_. The first and third were great. _Spanglish_ was kind of tedious but is remarkable in that Sandler is the most normal person in the film. I’ll have to check those out. I figured there were probably more, but that’s the only one I’ve seen. (Although I have a vague feeling that I may have seen _50 First Dates_, but I can’t say for sure. A lot of movies I watch don’t get stored in my long-term memory. That is to say, I’m a watch it and forget it kind of guy.) I don’t like his “usual” comedies, but I do think he’s a decent actor after seeing him play something than his usual characters. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/62 "2014-12-29T00:03:01Z")
All of the big budget blockbusters these days are either superhero or fantasy movies, which I have zero interest in. I think it is likely that there are very famous actors who specialize in these roles who I have never heard of. I do know of Adam Sandler, though. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/63 "2014-12-29T00:07:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > (Although I have a vague feeling that I may have seen _50 First Dates_, but I can’t say for sure. A lot of movies I watch don’t get stored in my long-term memory. That is to say, I’m a watch it and forget it kind of guy.) I don’t like his “usual” comedies, but I do think he’s a decent actor after seeing him play something than his usual characters. It’s an interesting variation on _Groundhog Day_, set in Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/64 "2014-12-29T00:20:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I wonder how many pages it _would_ take to print it all out. Wikipedia itself [has a dynamically updated article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_in_volumes)on this of course. It would be much smaller physically than I originally assumed and would fit easily in a normal sized living room if it was printed out in Encyclopedia Britannica format and stacked floor to ceiling. The current count is 2071 volumes totalling about 35,000,000 pages. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/65 "2014-12-29T00:23:04Z")
[Some perspective](http://xkcd.com/1053/) from XKCD. Not on Sandler, _per se_, but on the rate at which things that “everyone” knows is learned. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/66 "2014-12-29T01:17:37Z")
I’m in my 50s and yes I do know who Adam Sandler is, well enough to avoid his movies. However my wife has no idea who he is because she prefers films with actors such as Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy etc. Osage Orange County. On the other hand I have no idea who James Franco is until I tripped over the thread suggesting he is overexposed. I still can’t recall ever seeing him or noticing him. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744442&highlight=james+franco](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744442&highlight=james+franco) This nullity does not indicate my wife and I are drooling sub-humans. I hardly drool at all. I’d be more alarmed if a person did not know who their Prime Minister/President was and who led the political opposition in the nation they lived in. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/67 "2014-12-29T02:15:00Z")
Several years ago, there was a girl in Harlem who didn’t know that you could look up and see the moon. Or the people I saw who didn’t know how to operate an elevator (they thought you punch the floor number you’re coming from). Or women who thought they urinated from their vagina. So it’s possible that there are some people who don’t know some pretty basic stuff . . . more basic than Adam Sandler. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/68 "2014-12-29T02:36:41Z")
My wife is very well read and intelligent, but does not watch many movies made in the Adam Sandler era. I asked her a moment ago who Adam Sandler was, and she said, “I really don’t know. Could he be one of those professional footballers?” (We were watching pro football on television at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/69 "2014-12-29T03:05:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Several years ago, there was a girl in Harlem who didn’t know that you could look up and see the moon. Or the people I saw who didn’t know how to operate an elevator (they thought you punch the floor number you’re coming from). Or women who thought they urinated from their vagina. So it’s possible that there are some people who don’t know some pretty basic stuff . . . more basic than Adam Sandler. Wait, what? You mean you _don’t_ punch the floor number you’re coming from? Woo-hoo! No more stairs for me! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/70 "2014-12-29T03:17:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Several years ago, there was a girl in Harlem who didn’t know that you could look up and see the moon. Or the people I saw who didn’t know how to operate an elevator (they thought you punch the floor number you’re coming from). Or women who thought they urinated from their vagina. So it’s possible that there are some people who don’t know some pretty basic stuff . . . more basic than Adam Sandler. Sadly, this is very true. About two weeks ago I was talking to a man in his early 40s whose wife was pregnant with their fourth child and he was telling us she’d just had an echocardiogram and the baby was healthy. Except he couldn’t come up with the word “echocardiogram” so described it as “when they use that thing to look at the baby in her stomach.” On the bright side, he probably knows who Adam Sandler is. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/71 "2014-12-29T03:24:58Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Sadly, this is very true. > About two weeks ago I was talking to a man in his early 40s whose wife was pregnant with their fourth child and he was telling us she’d just had an echocardiogram and the baby was healthy. Except he couldn’t come up with the word “echocardiogram” so described it as “when they use that thing to look at the baby in her stomach.” > > On the bright side, he probably knows who Adam Sandler is. I thought it was called an ultrasound. Echocardiogram sounds heart-centric to me. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/72 "2014-12-29T03:34:22Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I never think comedies are funny so I don’t watch them. Yeah, for real laughs, you’ve got to go with tragedies. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/73 "2014-12-29T03:35:07Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I thought it was called an ultrasound. Echocardiogram sounds heart-centric to me. 😃 :smack: Oh God, you’re right. Good thing one of us was paying attention. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/74 "2014-12-29T15:14:27Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > :smack: This is total bullshit, amirite? Does this person only watch older movies? I’ve met a few people who only watch classic movies, and wouldn’t know any modern actors. Some older film lovers are like this, but some young people can be like this too, wishing they were born earlier and disdaining modern culture. So it would be plausible someone like this wouldn’t know who Adam Sandler was. Or it could be someone bad with names. My mom is fairly bad with names, so it wouldn’t be too incredibly surprising if the name Adam Sandler drew a blank. But I would expect that she would remember “oh yeah it’s that guy” when I started listing movies like The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore and saying he was on Saturday Night Live. But if they do watch and know about modern movies, and they do know other actors like Seth Rogen and Zach Galifianakis and Steve Carell, then I would very much suspect they know who Adam Sandler is, and are just trying to act superior to you. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …what you doubt and what you can prove are two different things. Sandler has been in a string of movies I’ve never heard of since 2008. And if I haven’t heard of those movies, then it is very plausible that someone under the age of 20 has never heard of those movies either. Calling someone a liar based on an assumption is pretty silly. Unlikely things actually happen all the time: and not knowing who Adam Sandler is is unlikely, but absolutely possible. Adam Sandler is #35 on the list of actors with the [highest overall box office totals](http://boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm). And maybe #35 isn’t super high, but most of the higher actors are there because of whatever franchises they are in, like Stellan Skarsgard because of The Avengers and Stanley Tucci for The Hunger Games. People are paying money for his movies, including some of his recent ones. Also, his comedies are pretty much aimed straight at the young male with sophomoric humor. And some of his earlier movies are rerun fairly regularly on TV. I could see someone young disliking Sandler because his movies are stupid, or thinking he’s old and out of touch, but I’d be skeptical if I heard someone say they had no idea who he was. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/75 "2014-12-29T16:54:12Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Adam Sandler is #35 on the list of actors with the [highest overall box office totals](http://boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm). And maybe #35 isn’t super high, but most of the higher actors are there because of whatever franchises they are in, like Stellan Skarsgard because of The Avengers and Stanley Tucci for The Hunger Games. People are paying money for his movies, including some of his recent ones. > > Also, his comedies are pretty much aimed straight at the young male with sophomoric humor. And some of his earlier movies are rerun fairly regularly on TV. I could see someone young disliking Sandler because his movies are stupid, or thinking he’s old and out of touch, but I’d be skeptical if I heard someone say they had no idea who he was. …we’ve had one person in this very thread (a well respected poster who’s been registered here since 1999) state he hadn’t heard of Adam Sandler, so unless you want to call him a liar you can be as skeptical as much as you like, the answer to the question asked by the OP is yes, it is totally possible to exist and not have heard of Adam Sandler. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/76 "2014-12-29T17:21:52Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …we’ve had one person in this very thread (a well respected poster who’s been registered here since 1999) state he hadn’t heard of Adam Sandler, so unless you want to call him a liar you can be as skeptical as much as you like, the answer to the question asked by the OP is yes, it is totally possible to exist and not have heard of Adam Sandler. I should have been more precise, I would be skeptical if an American who watches current movies hadn’t heard of Sandler. Comedy doesn’t always travel well between countries, and so comedians are less well known outside of their own countries than drama actors or action stars. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/77 "2014-12-29T17:24:51Z")
I recognize the name Adam Sandler as “some sort of famous person who’s made . . . movies? Books? Touchdowns? Something else?” but I couldn’t say anything beyond that. So, I guess it’s possible. ETA: I’m also an American, so it’s not related to that. There’s probably a generational thing, though - I’m young enough that I would expect most people my age to have similar reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/78 "2014-12-29T19:33:43Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Yeah, for real laughs, you’ve got to go with tragedies. You’ve just got to give them a little time. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/79 "2014-12-29T20:39:54Z")
I’ve never heard of Adam Sandler, and I’d never heard of Dan Rather either, until the election which prompted his departure. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320/80 "2014-12-29T22:03:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It’s an interesting variation on _Groundhog Day_, set in Hawaii. Sean Astins’ character in **50 First Dates** was just great. I am still a bit pissed that he didn’t get an Oscar for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-not-heard-of-adam-sandler/708320.md?page=5)