Booklist
Lengthening Dennis Miller's rap sheet, Crawford credits the world's oldest 13-year-old with discovering that Jerry Lewis of his generation, Adam Sandler. Other than that tidbit, Crawford's quickie bio assumes potential readers' heads are empty vessels as far as entertainment history before last Tuesday is concerned. So he explains who John Belushi, Chris Farley, and similar luminaries were in page-count-inflating detail, though the sentences are very simple, very short; this is invigorating in its way, rather like a lesson learned from watching Saved by the Bell . Speaking of Sandler's schoolboy humor and appeal, Crawford says that Sandler's character in The Waterboy "evolved at least in part from [his] Saturday Night Live characters Canteen Boy and Cajunman." He goes on to explain that, like Canteen Boy, Waterboy is concerned with water, and like Cajunman, Waterboy is from "the Cajun country of Louisiana." Well, that certainly explains the accent! Chock-full of similar revealing analysis, deep truths, and riveting commentary, this is a simple, naive, harmless, fan-magish trifle. So give it to the fans. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
From the comedy clubs of New York to his big break on "Saturday Night Live" to block-buster films like "Big Daddy" and "Little Nicky" Adam Sandler has left America howling in their seats and peeing in their pants. Sandler has emerged as the decade's most unstoppable comedic-and the ladies love him! But how many people know the story behind this lovable comedic prodigy's ascent to fame? Bill Crawford takes you back to Sandler's childhood in a small New Hampshire Town, where his stand-up routines were always hits with his classmates but not necessarily the teachers! When Adam left his small town to take on the big city at New York University, it wasn't always easy, Sandler performed as a street musician crooning Springsteen songs to commuters, but he was destined to succeed. From his long friendship with then college classmate Tim Herlihy, who went on to co-write all Sandler's movies, to being discovered by Dennis Miller and eventually becoming America's funnyman, Bill Crawford looks behind the headlines and tabloid tales to shed new light on this decade's comedic darling.
