- © 2019 Here Publishing Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Adam Sandler is known for a lot of crude, lewd, and dude humor. And unavoidably, throughout the years, gay jokes have been among the bread and butter of many of his blockbusters.
While Sandler has stated that he would be open to working with LGBT rights groups, there's no denying that scenes from movies like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Wedding Singer, and Little Nicky are problematic in their portrayal and discussion of gay people.
Granted, a lot has changed in what words and images are acceptable in mainstream media since Sandler started making movies. Perhaps in today's political climate, Sandler would have made different creative decisions. But regardless, LGBT moviegoers remember cringing when they saw these moments, even if their straight counterparts didn't notice. Here's a review of some of the worst antigay offenders. May they inspired Sandler and his team to do better in their portrayal of LGBT people in the future.
Nothing is as funny as a bunch of effeminate gay men mincing around as cheerleaders — unless the ringleader of the group is a comic who once said he’d shoot his son if he were gay. Yeah, real funny.
This scene has Adam Sandler singing “I Feel Pretty” in his car to his anger management counselor. See that uncomfortable look on his face? Is it because he sings, “I feel pretty and witty and gay?” or is it the embarrassing emasculation of serenading another dude? The possibilities are endless.
It’s really fun laughing at things that are different, isn’t it? Like a gender-noncomforming person who sings in a high-pitch voice. Hysterical!
In this scene, Adam Sandler attempts to sneak out the window to get away from Damon Wayans. Apparently, what audience members are supposed to find funny is the fact it looks like the two are engaging in anal sex. Which is gross?
What’s funny about this scene is that not only is Steve Buscemi’s character crazy, keeping a list of people to kill on his wall, but he is also a sexual deviant who likes to wear lipstick! That’s funny, right?!
A lot of Sandler’s comedy comes from the act of making fun of people who are different. In this scene, Nicky, played by Sandler, crawls into a Parsons School of Design dorm window to find... a boy wearing a dress and dancing lasciviously! The joke is later brought back when the audience is told that nothing is more horrifying than a boy in a dress.
We were (not) surprised to find that this movie, about two straight firefighters forced into a domestic partnership to get around some bureaucracy keeping one from his pension, was rife with some pretty homophobic moments. Here are some of our "favorites."
When the idea is first proposed that the two men join in a domestic partnership, Sandler’s character first asks, “Like faggots?” and then chugs tequila right out of the bottle as if the thought of two men together drove him to alcoholism.
In this scene, Sandler is supposed to be gay but definitely has the hots for Jessica Biel. So under the guise of being gay, he finds every excuse to fondle her breasts. Because why not take advantage of a girl you're lying to and play into one of the more tired stereotypes about gay men in the process?
When the two men have their wedding service and the minister says “You may now kiss each other,” Sandler’s character goes into such gay panic that he actually punches Kevin James in the face. Because nothing is funnier than violence-induced "gay panic," right?
Speaking of gay panic, what could be more terrifying than having to shower with a gay man? We’ll tell you what: Dropping. The. Soap.
This film is about a group of old friends who get together every summer to spend time with their families and reconnect since drifting apart as children. It is also full of random gay jokes, such as this scene in which Maria Bello’s character takes her husband, played by Kevin James, to a cheerleader car-wash to cheer him up. But uh oh! The sexy cheerleaders are busy with another car so they call in the backup: an all-male team of cheerleaders. Ew!
Long-time Sandler collaborator Nick Swarsdon plays a complete and total loser whose wife is leaving him for eating a banana. With his butt. Because nothing is grosser (or gayer!) than butt play.
In this scene, the ladies meet their new fitness instructor, and damn, he is hot! But after some sexual advances from the ladies, he decides to let them down gently and tell them that he is in fact gay. The ladies' response? Booing, of course.
This film finds Sandler playing, you guessed it, a cobbler who discovers a way to transform himself into whosever shoes he is wearing. In this scene, Sandler thinks he turned into a woman until he gets a bit of a surprise. Because transphobia is always fun...?
READER COMMENTS (