Sandler vs. Ferrell
Ending the age old debate with a thorough look at Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell's careers.
A polarizing topic has plagued comedy fans for years. I’ve heard countless takes arguing both sides, and it is one of my favorite things to debate. The topic I am referring to is, of course: Who is better? Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell?
Admittedly, I began writing this piece with my own personal biases. The goal of this piece is to determine who is better by considering every possible factor to arrive at the most unbiased conclusion. I know this debate is purely subjective, but I plan to defend my opinions and provide examples. If you disagree, let me know.
To ensure that this piece would be as well rounded as possible I compiled a list of films I’ve seen from both Sandler and Ferrell. The final tally was twenty five Adam Sandler films and twenty one Will Ferrell films. There are still a few notable films that I haven’t seen, but I think I am well versed enough in their films to state my case.
Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell are both titans in the world of comedy. “Who is Better?” is a loaded question that requires as many factors as possible to be considered. The categories that will be considered for this piece are as follows: SNL Career, Early Films, Prime, Current Films, Serious Roles, and Longevity.
SNL CAREERS
Both Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell had wildly successful Saturday Night Live careers. Not only were their careers successful, but their fellow cast mates also went on to have impressive film careers. Sandler began his career in 1990, and continued until 1995 when he was fired by NBC executives. Ferrell had his SNL debut in 1995 and remained a cast member until 2002. To prepare for this piece I watched SNL’s Best of Will Ferrel Vol. 1 and 2, as well as SNL’s Best of Adam Sandler. I was familiar with both of their SNL careers prior to rewatching their best sketches, but it was necessary to get a retrospective opinion, compared to the first time I watched them.
While appearing on Saturday Night Live, Adam Sandler has an inexplicable charm and likability to him, which will come back into play later in this piece. His original songs like “Lunchlady Land” and “The Chanukah Song” became hits in the world of SNL. Opera Man on Weekend Update was funny, but the subject matter he was singing about was so outdated, it didn’t really land during a present-day viewing. However, I don’t think that will hurt Sandler in the long run because the premise of the character is funny in itself. Many of the sketches in Adam Sandler’s Best Of were funny, but two stood out to me with Sandler carrying the sketch: “Last Minute Halloween Ideas” and “The Denise Show.” “Last Minute Halloween Ideas” is so stupid but I could not help but laugh out loud. “Gap Girls” is kind of a miss, except when Chris Farley yells “Lay off me, I’m starving!”, which leads me to an interesting point. Adam Sandler began surrounding himself with very funny people, particularly Chris Farley (until his untimely passing, R.I.P.). His crew of Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider (kind of) continue to thrive in Hollywood to this day.Sandler has continued this practice for decades, and it has proven to work wonders for him.
Will Ferrell’s SNL career began right as Adam Sandler had left. Ferrell was gifted with the ability to hold the spotlight. While Ferrell had his fair share of fellow cast members to lean on, he tended to shine brighter than everyone else. “Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton” and anything with Harry Caray are prime examples of how Will Ferrell can steal the show and carry a sketch. Some of Ferrells sketches thrive because of his cast mates, namely “More Cowbell.” If Christopher Walken never uttered the phrase “I got a fever, and the only prescription, is more cowbell!”, then the sketch would be all eyes on Ferrell. Another example of this is “Celebrity Jeopardy”. Darrell Hammond and Norm MacDonald as Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds respectively makes the sketch work, despite Ferrell’s exceptional Alex Trebek impression.
Saturday Night Live is an ensemble show, so it makes perfect sense that Sandler and Ferrell would not be the main focus in every sketch. However, Will Ferrell tends to shine more than Sandler in many of his sketches.
SNL CAREER EDGE: WILL FERRELL
EARLY FILMS
Sandler and Ferrell immediately rode the SNL to Hollywood pipeline. Will Ferrell racked up a few supporting roles in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), and the first two Austin Powers films, and even co-starred in 3 SNL character films, A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Superstar (1999) and The Ladies Man (2001). Upon leaving SNL, Ferrell’s long and very successful prime began, which we will dive deeper into shortly. His first three notable films after SNL were Zoolander (2001), Old School (2003), and Elf (2003). Zoolander was funny, but it’s not my favorite. Todd Philips’ Old School, in my opinion, set the tone for the raunchy comedy genre that dominated the 2000’s, and Elf is a certified holiday classic.
I haven’t seen any of Ferrell’s SNL movies all the way through (sorry). To be honest, SNL movies feel very gimmicky and they aren’t really my cup of tea, aside from Mike Myers’ Waynes World (1992).
During Adam Sandler’s SNL career, he didn’t star in anything super notable. The only film that interests me from his SNL days is Airheads (1993). I still need to watch it, so I’m not going to factor in a POTENTIALLY good performance for this piece. Sandler’s first two films after his SNL career played such a pivotal role in my life, that I almost wrote a Substack post solely about these movies, claiming that watching them back to back is the greatest double feature of all time. The movies I am referring to are Billy Madison (1995) and Happy Gilmore (1996). These movie are perfect. I could write about them for hours, but we have a debate to settle.
EARLY FILMS EDGE: ADAM SANDLER
PRIME
In my opinion, Will Ferrell’s prime began in 2003 with Old School and Elf, and ended in 2010 with The Other Guys (plus a bonus prime quality film in 2013 with Anchorman 2). Adam Sandler’s prime began in 1995 with Happy Gilmore, and ended in 2006 with Click. Sandler may have the longer prime, but the concentration of absolute smash hits in Ferrell’s 7-year prime prove why Ferrell may take the cake for the category. I’m just going to list the movies I’ve seen in chronological order. They can speak for themselves: Old School (2003), Elf (2003), Anchorman (2004), Kicking and Screaming (2005), Wedding Crashers (2005), Talladega Nights (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro (2008), Step Brothers (2008), Land of the Lost (2009), and The Other Guys (2010). There isn’t a single miss in that entire lineup.
Adam Sandler’s prime has many hits as well. Starting in 1995, we have Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), The Waterboy (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Little Nicky (2000), The Longest Yard (2005), and Click (2006). I may have a strong bias towards Adam Sandler, but I’d be a fraud if I didn’t respect Will Ferrell’s historic 2000’s prime.
PRIME EDGE: WILL FERRELL
CURRENT FILMS
This is a tricky category to rank. In my opinion, Adam Sandler has made far better movies outside of his prime. This may be a controversial take, considering many of Sandler’s newer films are universally panned by critics and audiences alike. However, Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2 are both excellent movies. Technically they’re bad movies, but I sure do like them, and so does pretty much everyone else I know. This seems to be the trend with Sandler’s movies. When you look at Adam Sandler’s current films, you must take them for what they are: Adam Sandler taking a vacation with his friends and family, and making a movie in the meantime. Some people may not like this, because then audiences are treated with a movie like Jack and Jill (2011). There is certainly a case to be made for Sandler’s newer movies sucking. However, when I watch them, Sandler’s charm and likability from his SNL days creeps in and I can’t help but laugh.
Will Ferrell’s career after Anchorman 2 just seems far more forgettable to me in comparison to Sandler’s. By no means am I saying that Will Ferrell fell off. He still makes funny movies, and he’s still funny himself, but when you have such a stellar prime, it is difficult to keep up and capture the magic of your career in the 2000’s.
CURRENT FILMS EDGE: ADAM SANDLER
SERIOUS ROLES
This is a clean sweep for Adam Sandler. I haven’t really seen Will Ferrell in any of his serious roles like Everything Must Go (2010). I can guarantee that any serious film Will Ferrell has ever made does not even compare to Punch Drunk Love (2002) and Uncut Gems (2019). Sandler blew me away in both performances. Not only are Sandler’s performances great, but the movies themselves are phenomenal. Also Click (2006) should be mentioned in this category because it is so fucking sad.
SERIOUS ROLES EDGE: ADAM SANDLER
LONGEVITY AND VERDICT
As I write this I can see some of my biases leaking through. I can also see why each category can’t hold the same amount of weight. For example: Ferrell’s better prime should count for more than Sandler’s serious roles. Regardless, the main driving force leading me to crown Adam Sandler as the winner is the fact that I just don’t get sick of his movies. Despite being hysterical and making very funny movies, Will Ferrell’s movies (even his prime) do not have the longevity that Sandler’s movies do. I tend to get sick of Ferrell’s comedy style faster than I do with Sandler. This could be related to his popularity in the 2000’s. He’s been quoted to death, and I am certainly one of the culprits, you probably are too. The same thing could be said for Adam Sandler’s movies, but for some reason, his best movies just do not get old.
Do I think Will Ferrell is funnier than Adam Sandler? Probably, yes. Do I think Adam Sandler has more classics than Will Ferrell? Probably, yes.
Who do I think is better? It certainly is close… but you know I have to go with Adam Sandler.
WINNER: ADAM SANDLER
I would be happy to hear your opinion on this debate. The bottom line is, it all comes down to personal preference. Sandler and Ferrell are icons of American comedy, and both of them are to thank for an entire generation’s sense of humor. Let me know what you think. I plan to watch several of the films I haven’t seen yet, and if you have any specific Sandler/Ferrell movie recommendations, feel free to send them my way. For reference, here’s a list of the films I considered for this piece:
Thank you for reading!
Keeper Part III soon.
That’s quacktastic.
Goodbye.
-CJ