There has been many a film that captured the 80s for its grit, fashion, politics, and social challenges, but The Wedding Singer was a love note to 80s pop culture and its marriage with pop music. At a time when his popularity was already at a comedic peak, Adam Sandler broke away from the silly voices and displayed both solid yet still comedic acting performance.
The Wedding Singer no doubt has one of the best movie soundtracks from the 90s, and Sandler even provided his music writing talent for the movie. Whilst a good soundtrack keeps up with the mood of the film, The Wedding Singer did it with the bright colors and musical eccentricity that the 80s did so well. It furthermore proves why this film, which is turning 25 in 2023, deserves recognition.
The Wedding Singer would be the first of the Sandler filmography to not feature the main man on the writer's desk. Instead, co-writer Tim Herlihy took the full helm. Accompanied by Drew Barrymore, who had many screen performances under her belt already, the pair melded well as two lovable young Americans whose relationship develops naturally. Playing the role of a wedding singer, music was at the forefront of the movie with Sandler's crew performing some of the best-known hits in 1985. The accompanying fashion pleasantly suited the musical choices by Sandler's band, especially with Alexis Arquette delivering Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" on multiple occasions. The music also feels like the third main character in the movie, which isn't usually the case with an Adam Sandler film. With the variation of genres from The Smiths and Bowie to Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, and Madonna, the movie provided something for everyone.
A lot of Sandler's current work is hit and miss and still continues his left-field characters of anger and voice alterations. The Wedding Singer, though, presented a more normal Sandler that, even with fleeting moments of anger, brought a new side of the comedy legend. Sandler's emotional delivery throughout the movie is a fantastic display of the stages of a breakup with his moments of grief, anger, loathing, and the necessity to do better for himself. Even when he falls for Julia (Barrymore) in a natural and caring way, he remains reserved throughout most of the film, respecting her decision to marry her current fiance Glenn (Matthew Glave). Though there's the fleeting anger and shy awkwardness in his character, this is certainly the first straight performance from Sandler. This is certainly a reason why people are drawn to the movie and why it steps away from Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and The Waterboy.
Sandler had already released music prior to The Wedding Singer, and provided the perfect balance of a comedy number and heartfelt acoustic piece which he has done so well on multiple songwriting occasions. Better yet, his ode to Julia, "Grow Old With Me," which Sandler performed at the end of the movie had not been shown to Barrymore. Therefore, her reaction onscreen is genuine and real.
Some may say that The Wedding Singer isn't Sandler's best acting performance, but this is easily up for debate depending on film preference. His unexpected delivery of the song "Somebody Kill Me" is one of his best on-screen moments. The song, with its Cure-inspired lyrics, is a ferocious break-up piece that delivers in both a comedic and entertainment environment. At the same time, the song is really catchy and shows how Sandler could release whatever album he wanted.
Despite Sandler being a comedy legend, a lot of the comedic room is left for other actors from the old (Ellen Albertini Dow) to the young (Gemini Barnett) to the in-between (Allen Covert), whose portrayal as limo driver Sammy goes through their own character development in the movie. Sammy starts off as a Fonzie wannabe to later reveal that's not who he wants to be, and wants to be more like Sandler. Movie icon Steve Buscemi may only have a few minutes of screen time at the beginning and end of the movie, but his portrayal of the drunken best man is certainly top five for comedic moments. For someone who assumedly played the role sober, Buscemi pulls off one of the best intoxicated performances in a comedy movie. Finally, the short cameo from Jon Lovitz is also a treat. As a rivaling wedding singer, he believes Sandler's big breakdown will be his big break.
The Wedding Singer has certainly left its legacy in not just the movie world, but in the musical world too. Like other music-focused movies, The Wedding Singer was turned into a theater production in 2006 with multiple runs in the US, UK, and international stages. Following the story of the film, a whole performance's worth of new songs was written, as well as the pieces written by Sandler for the original movie. Writer Tim Herlihy would also be part of the writing process of the book section of the movie adapting to the script. The fact that this is the Adam Sandler movie with a musical adaption really says something about its characters and story in comparison to prior and later Sandler roles.
What The Wedding Singer does oh so well is tell a loving story about two people who want love and deserve to be together. It's a movie with heart and comedy as a perfect balance, and a love for the 80s in all its shapes and forms from outfits, cars, and Rubix Cubes. From Sandler's outburst at the wedding audience to his hatred of Glenn and love for Julia, he plays one of his most understanding and relatable roles. Barrymore's difficult position on what she wants in the messy yuppie world of the 80s highlights the stereotypes that women had to deal with at the time about marrying for money and settling. The conclusion is one of love that fans strive for from very early on in the movie. The bad guy loses and the good guys win, and there's even a Billy Idol cameo. There's so much to love with The Wedding Singer.