Read more from our preview of SBIFF 2026 here.
A quarter-century ago, it would have been inconceivable to find Adam Sandler on the list of the lofty tribute evening of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). In his early breakout and career-building stage, Sandler honed his persona as a mumbly doofus capable of sudden throaty outbursts, on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and films such as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and The Waterboy. Then came PT Anderson’s brilliant 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love, which gave Sandler a ripe opportunity to demonstrate the more complex dramatic and more subtle and dryly comic talents he hadn’t shown elsewhere.
Suddenly, Sandler joined the rare ranks of famed comedians crossing the border into serious acting, alongside Robin Williams, Steve Carell, Bill Hader, and Bill Murray. With Punch-Drunk Love, and his impressive work as a hyperactive jewelry-racket con man in Josh Safdie’s Uncut Gems and now his solid, gag-free role as George Clooney’s manager in Jay Kelly, Sandler’s serious actor cred solidified. Now Sandler’s viability for a SBIFF tribute crown becomes a reality when the 41st annual festival gives him a “this is your life” Maltin Modern Master Award night at the Arlington on Thursday, February 5.
Sandler, now 59, has amassed enough of a body of work, with enough diversity and critical thumbs-up to make for a full evening’s tribute. He lands on a list of Modern Master honorees including Bill Murray, Brad Pitt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert Downey Jr., and last year’s celeb in the spotlight, Angelina Jolie.
As for Santa Barbara connections, Sandler’s classic “The Chanukah Song,” appearing on his second album, What the Hell Happened to Me? (1996), was a live recording from his UCSB appearance. Speaking of his alternative holiday tune, veteran critic and award namesake Leonard Maltin comments, “Adam Sandler won me over when he sang ‘The Chanukah Song’ on SNL, then amassed a huge following in tailor-made movies like The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer. I love that he’s left his comfort zone and delivered potent performances in Uncut Gems and Jay Kelly. I can’t wait to share the stage with him in Santa Barbara.”
Another Santa Barbara connection, once removed, is that Montecitan Dennis Miller “discovered” Sandler as an aspiring 17-year-old comic in Los Angeles and recommended him to SNL’s Lorne Michaels, who hired him first as a writer in 1990 but quickly moved him into the cast. Michaels was also who fired Sandler in 1995, along with Chris Farley, during a slump in the show’s history.
But Sandler more than bounced back, starring in ’90s films, starting with Billy Madison (1995) and Happy Gilmore (1996), hence his production company portmanteau, Happy Madison. These and other ’90s titles soared, commercially and in terms of creating a bankable brand. And as of 2026, Sandler is a formidable presence in Hollywood, one with serio-comic, SBIFF-worthy cred.
For info and tickets, see sbiff.org.
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