Adam Sandler

In Jay Kelly (2025), Adam Sandler hears a film star tell stories he plainly knows already, and still makes each nod look attentive. Playing the star's manager, Ron Sukenick, he books the rooms and carries the bags. Sandler keeps his voice soft and his shoulders stooped, making the manager's attention more interesting than the speeches. We were moved by those small nods, because they show how hard Ron works even when he is only listening. Noah Baumbach's film is too fond of its star, but Sandler gives us a reason to stay.

The broad comedies, including Billy Madison (1995) and Happy Gilmore (1996), established him as a leading man. His sudden rages could be funny, and the dramatic roles found other uses for them. The commercial comedies can repeat themselves, but it is a mistake to treat the dramatic work as a separate career. With Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Paul Thomas Anderson made the temper harder to laugh off.

As Barry Egan, Sandler makes a bullied man's distress convincing without making his violent reactions easy to forgive. Affection offers no guarantee that he will become comfortable company, which gives the courtship its unease. Emily Watson makes Lena's attraction credible, though the writing leaves her supplying too much of the romance. Robert Elswit's saturated cinematography makes the romance vivid while Sandler keeps us uncomfortable. William Arnold's heightened production design can feel too carefully arranged around a man whose discomfort Sandler has already made plain.

In Uncut Gems (2019), his gambling-addicted jeweller Howard Ratner puts that intensity to work again. Baumbach instead trusts him to hold our attention while another actor does the talking. We watch the manager more closely than his employer, which is both a pleasure and a problem for a film so taken with Jay. Start with Punch-Drunk Love; save Jay Kelly for an evening when a fine supporting performance will be enough.