Is it just me or is Adam Sandler getting less funny as he gets older? This little story about Dustin Hoffman snubbing Daniel-Day Lewis was amusing but it wasn’t the comedy-laden bit that we’ve come to expect from Sandler throughout the years. Of course as he’s aged he’s taken on different roles and acted in a different manner in many ways, as though perhaps he’s finally matured all the way and is only able to bring out his crazier side on rare occasions. Or maybe he was having one of his more reflective moments, who knows. The point is that at this time Adam Sandler might still be funny at certain moments but it seems like he’s a lot more reserved than he used to be.
Sandler is in his fifties after all so it’s very likely that he finally calmed down several years ago. When he was being recognized for Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore back in the day he was a wild man. Even when he was filming Grown Ups and the sequel he was still a bit of a kook and people loved it, I’ll admit that I did too. But as the years have gone by now he’s really toned it down and his stories reflect that as well.
Apparently while he was discussing a film with Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, and Rebecca Miller in the apartment of the director of the movie Miller’s husband, Daniel Day-Lewis, stopped by to pick her up. The story goes that Sandler and Day-Lewis, who are good friends and know each other very well, went on to talk for a while and said their long goodbyes as is usual with almost any such meeting, while Hoffman did nothing but sit on the couch and stare off into space. Nothing was said at that moment apparently but when Day-Lewis and Miller finally left Sandler decided to ask Hoffman why he snubbed Day-Lewis. Hoffman replied that he hadn’t, and when told by Sandler that Day-Lewis had been there exclaimed “That was him?!”
That part of the story is definitely funny because if you’ve ever seen Hoffman act then you know the look that must have come over his face at the realization of what he’d done. Accidents do happen and everything and Hoffman is in his eighties at this point, but not recognizing the guy standing just a short ways away from you seems to be indication that your head isn’t in the right place at the moment or something inside might have just slipped a cog. Like I just said Hoffman is in his eighties now and could be slipping just a bit, since this seems to be the most obvious case.
But there is also the argument that he was lost so deep in thought that he didn’t take into account his surroundings in favor of pursuing the thought that was in his head at the moment. Being a writer I know that feeling and I imagine that a lot of people could say the same. Having a thought in your head that doesn’t allow for a lot of intrusion tends to allow you to block out a lot of things that you might otherwise notice.
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