After Another Almost Nomination, We Need To Talk About Adam Sandler’s Long-Term Oscar Chances

Adam Sandler missed out on his nomination again. The beloved comedian’s name was consistently thrown around throughout the awards season. He even picked up some lesser nominations, most notably at the Critics Choice Awards, but this morning, he was once again shut out at the Oscars.

I’m not terribly surprised. His role in Jay Kelly was widely praised by both fans and critics, but over the past few months, the larger movie has faded from potential Best Picture nominee to longshot. George Clooney’s Best Actor chances suffered a similar fate, which left Sandler hanging on as the only hopeful still in at least semi-serious conversation. Ultimately, the whole movie got ignored.

From a personal standpoint, I’m not nearly as confused and angry as I was when the Academy overlooked his all-time turn in Uncut Gems. I still think about how unhinged and memorable he was in that movie. His work in Jay Kelly was much more subtle, and given the strength of competition in the Supporting Actor category, he probably didn’t have enough stand out scenes to make the top five. That happens, and I certainly don’t blame the voters.

As someone who grew up watching Adam Sandler movies while also mainlining weird artsy movies on IFC, I have loved watching Sandler get a bit more daring and take on different roles later in his career. It feels like two of my loosely related interests are giving me a crossover I didn’t realize was possible. He’s been rewarded for branching out with the best critics reviews of his career, but I was hoping he would be more formally rewarded by the Academy with an Oscar nomination. That still hasn’t happened. So, let’s talk about the chances it does happen in the future.

Only Adam Sandler knows what his career goals look like long-term, but if we judge by the last few years, it seems like he’s now in a good rhythm of mixing in more serious projects with the goofy comedies he’s known for and which more recently have starred his friends and family members. Even though I’m a shameless movie snob, I think that’s a good balance. I don’t ever want Sandler to completely get away from what we all love him for, but I want to see something that pushes him outside his comfort zone at least every other year.

If Sandler continues that back-and-forth genre-hopping, I think there’s a strong chance he winds up with an Oscar nomination at some point. We know filmmakers with really strong track records at the Oscars want to work with him. Four time Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach just cast him in Jay Kelly. Josh Safdie, who just picked up a Best Director nomination for Marty Supreme, cast him in Uncut Gems. Paul Thomas Anderson, arguably the most acclaimed director of his generation, cast him in Punch Drunk Love. We know Safdie is planning to work with him again on an upcoming project, and other major A-list directors have expressed interest in collaborating in the past.

He’s also really good. People who haven’t watched his artsier projects might not fully get that, but like many SNL legends and renowned comedians, he has a fantastic sense of timing (think Oscar nominees Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray). He’s also able to convey a lot of emotion in his face. He’s mostly used that during his career in over-the-top comedic ways, but that same skillset translates well to showing other emotions like loneliness, anxiety and anger. The same charisma and aura that makes him so magnetic in Happy Gilmore works just as well for stealing scenes in dramatic movies, and he seems to have a really good sense for when to do less, which is something a lot of comedians don’t ever develop.

I don’t think Sandler is making more serious movies because he’s trying to win an Oscar. I think he’s making them because he wants to reach people in a different way, and he wants to push himself as an actor. In that way, he’s already won. He’s contributed great performances in some fantastic movies that will live on for people to discover decades from now. As long as he keeps doing that, it’s going to be worth the effort, whether he’s nominated or not. That being said, I’d like to see him get nominated at some point, and if he keeps working with high end directors at least every other year, I think he’s got a strong chance of doing that.