1 Tiny Detail Connects An Iconic '90s Comedy To The Sandlerverse

Publish date: 2024-05-08

Adam Sandler included an incredibly subtle reference to a '90s comedy classic in 50 First Dates, bringing an unrelated movie into the Sandlerverse.

A minor throwaway line in Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates actually connects an iconic '90s comedy to the actor's cinematic continuity. Adam Sandler's movie career has been remarkably successful, with the former Saturday Night Live player renowned for his consistent output of comedy movies since his transition to Hollywood in the '90s. From Sandler's frequent use of recurring supporting characters stems the Sandlerverse theory that connects many of his movies, suggesting that a number of Sandler's films - particularly his comedies - all exist within one larger continuity.

On top of inserting references to his previous movies into many of his comedies, another Sandler hallmark is casting his friends and family (many of which are real-life comedians and actors) in supporting or minor roles. This trend has seen many of Adam Sandler's friends become regular collaborators in his movies, with Rob Schneider, David Spade, Kevin James, and Chris Rock all appearing in multiple movies alongside the comedy legend. What's more, Sandler has also been known to have the same actors appear in cameos across multiple movies: Dan Aykroyd, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, and Steve Buscemi all regularly appear alongside Sandler, often in very minor roles.

These Adam Sandler career trends all combine in one film in particular: 50 First Dates. As well as featuring a number of Sandler's regular collaborators, it also links into the Sandlerverse, with Rob Schneider appearing in a cameo that links the film to both The Waterboy and Little Nicky. However, 50 First Dates also contains a brief appearance from Dan Aykroyd, who delivers a line of dialogue that links the film to the classic 1995 comedy Tommy Boy. While visiting a hospital to learn about Lucy's rare condition, Henry (Sandler) learns about the hospital from Aykroyd's Dr. Keats, who explains that his research is funded by T.B. Callahan, an "automotive tycoon from Sandusky, Ohio" - the same T.B. Callahan from Tommy Boy, the father of Chris Farley's Tommy Callahan. This places Tommy Boy squarely within the Sandlerverse, despite the fact that Sandler himself wasn't involved with the film.

50 First Dates' Tommy Boy Reference Raises An Interesting Sandlerverse Question

The Adam Sandler connection between 50 First Dates and Chris Farley's Tommy Boy retroactively makes the latter a part of Sandler's movie continuity. The line was obviously included as a touching tribute to the work of the late Chris Farley, but as Sandler's movies seemingly exist within a shared universe, Tommy Boy becomes a part of the Sandlerverse, too. This brings one of Farley's most memorable movie characters into Sandler's universe, despite Sandler not being even remotely connected to the making of Tommy Boy. This adds a greater depth to Adam Sandler's comedies that the actor is rarely credited for, particularly as the line is delivered so subtly as to not draw attention to the connection.

The reference to Tommy Boy raises an interesting question for the Sandlerverse. Though the shared universe primarily consists of Adam Sandler's comedies, Tommy Boy being connected opens much wider possibilities for the Sandlerverse. If Sandler is willing to connect unrelated movies starring his friends and former SNL costars to his own, the potential scope of the Sandlerverse increases drastically, particularly as Sandler's list of known collaborators is so long. However, it's quite clear that all Adam Sandler sought to do by linking Tommy Boy to 50 First Dates was honor the late Chris Farley, but it does have interesting implications for the shared universe theory.

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