Published on Oct 3, 1999
Adam Sandler is like most typical pre-teen males who have
discovered the sheer joy and terror of using swear words. They know
that what they’re saying is liable to get them in trouble, but not
only do they like seeing the expressions on people’s faces when
they say the things they do, but they like the laughter from their
friends, who now think they’re cool.
That pretty much sums up Sandler’s first comedy album,
They’re All Gonna Laugh At You!, an album which is less of a
Sandler vehicle and more of a post-
Saturday Night Live gathering for many players, including
Rob Schneider, David Spade and Tim Meadows. It also shows the
inevitability of using vulgarity just for the sake of shock: it
gets real old, real quick.
Now, I’m not against swear words; I do believe there is a time
and a place for their usage. And it doesn’t bother me to hear a
comedy album using the word “fuck” or describing sex in a graphic
manner. But in Sandler’s case, there’s only so much I can stand
before I have to wonder if this is the only hand he knows how to
play. Think of how you became immune to the nudity and eventual sex
scene in
Showgirls… ’nuff said.
Case in point – or, rather, pointless – are the sketches
featuring “The Buffoon,” a character who responds with scatalogical
and obscene non sequiturs in place of holding up a real
conversation. Don’t let the track listing fool you; “The Buffoon”
makes more than two appearances on this album. But we’ll get back
to that later.
It’s not all that bad on
They’re All Gonna Laugh At You! Even some of the toilet
humor – literally, in the case of the sketch “The Longest Pee” – is
funny. And while they are a little mindless, the series of short
sketches like “The Beating Of A High School Janitor” are as guilty
of a pleasure as watching
Cops.
Unfortunately, Sandler isn’t always at the top of his game on
this album; sketches like “Buddy,” “Fatty McGee” and “The
Cheerleader” almost leave you wondering how this guy ever rose to
the top of the comedy world. Other sketches, like “I’m So Wasted,”
are funny – that is, until they end with the reintroduction of…
“The Buffoon”. Nooooooo!!! (This doofus also makes a cameo
appearance on “Teenage Love On The Phone,” another decent sketch
ruined by his presence.)
Sandler’s musical ambitions are present on
They’re All Gonna Laugh At You!, though he has yet to
impress me like he did on “Ode To My Car” on
What The Hell Happened To Me?. “Lunchlady Land” comes the
closest to being a great song, while “Food Innuendo Guy” and “The
Thanksgiving Song” are just okay. And, if you’re easily offended,
you’ll want to skip “At A Medium Pace” and “My Little Chicken”.
(Hell, if you’re easily offended, you wouldn’t own this album in
the first place.)
Sandler is much more talented than the material on
They’re All Gonna Laugh At You! suggests, but until Sandler
branches out past the sophomoric humor, only the 10-year-old boys
who are just learning how to swear are going to consider this one a
must-own album.