Secrets And Easter Eggs Hiding In Adam Sandler Movies

As a young stand-up comedian, Adam Sandler couldn't have possibly imagined that one day he would become one of the most successful funnymen in Hollywood, complete with a sweet Netflix deal. While his movies are often berated by critics, the actor has starred in some pretty classic comedies, like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and The Wedding Singer.

However, if you look long enough at Adam Sandler movies (he's been in quite a few of them), you'll spot numerous in-jokes and all sorts of references scattered throughout his filmography. And while you're probably already familiar with YouTuber Shawn Kohne's "Sandlerverse" theory, the Easter eggs throughout Sandler's work go a whole lot further than you might think.

No, we're not trying to stretch the whole monomyth thing, but there's no denying Sandler's films have a pretty strong connection to Star Wars. Take Carrie Fisher, for example. The late great actress is best remembered for her role as Princess Leia, but did you know she also worked on The Wedding Singer? As it turns out, Fisher was an uncredited writer on the 1998 comedy, and according to Drew Barrymore, Fisher was brought in to "write the girl's part to make it balanced."

But the connections don't stop there. In 2012's That's My Boy, Sandler plays Donny Berger, a deadbeat dad who names his kid "Han Solo." Better still, James Earl Jones provided the commentary track for Sandler's life in the 2006 comedy Click. Of course, Jones has loaned his voice to all sorts of movies, but what if we brought the Star Wars connection into the real world? Well, according to Sandler, Harrison Ford once asked the Billy Madison star to wash his car. Evidently, Ford thought it would be a great way to surprise his kids, as they were big Sandler fans. And if the galaxy's greatest space scoundrel asks you for a favor, how can you say no?

Star Wars isn't the only major franchise from the 1970s that's connected to the Adam Sandler universe. Evidently, the actor is also a big fan of The Godfather, and a few of his films contain references to Francis Ford Coppola's classic gangster series. For proof, look no further than Jack and Jill, which stars Michael Corleone himself. The actor even references the infamous scene from The Godfather Part II where he threatens Diane Keaton with all his power, asking her, "Don't you know me?" Of course, in Jack and Jill, Pacino uses the monologue to intimidate Sandler into getting him a date with his twin sister...who's also played by Sandler. So yeah, not quite as dramatic.

However, Al Pacino isn't the only guy doing Godfather lines in Adam Sandler comedies. If you've seen Billy Madison, then you'll probably remember Sandler doing his own Michael Corleone impersonation, spoofing the scene from The Godfather Part II where Michael gives Fredo the kiss of death. Taking things even further, the film's co-writer, Tim Herlihy, once called Billy Madison "the comedy Godfather." While that might be a stretching things a bit, you've got to admit the picture is one of Sandler's most beloved movies.

Everybody has a type, and it seems like Adam Sandler has a thing for women whose names start with "V." Need proof? Well, let's take a look at Billy Madison, where Bridgette Wilson plays Veronica Vaughn, a third-grade teacher who has strange ways of motivating Billy to take his education more seriously. Then, in Happy Gilmore, Sandler's character is encouraged to get his head in the golfing game by a PR executive named Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen).

In The Waterboy, Bobby Boucher (Sandler) falls in love with witchy astrologier Vicki Vallencourt (Fairuza Balk), despite his mama's warnings that she's the devil. Big Daddy sees the titular slacker dumped by his girlfriend Vanessa (Kristy Swanson), and in Little Nicky, Sandler's son of Satan falls head over heels for Valerie Veran (Patricia Arquette), a woman who helps Nicky defeat his evil brothers.

And now we're wondering if maybe Adam Sandler was the guy behind that Guy Fawkes mask...

While The Ridiculous 6 didn't fare particularly well with critics, there's no denying the title is an intentional nod to The Hateful Eight, both of which came out the same year. (And, of course, both films are paying homage to 1960's The Magnificent Seven.) But believe it or not, Adam Sandler almost had the opportunity to work with Tarantino himself, as the director originally wanted the comedian to play the bat-wielding "Bear Jew" in Inglourious Basterds.

Of course, the role eventually went to Eli Roth, as Sandler chose to play in Funny People, instead. But while Sandler missed out on a great role, Jonathan Loughran was all too happy to join up with Tarantino. If you don't recognize the name, you'll no doubt recognize the face, as Loughran has shown up in quite a few Sandler films (The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Anger Management, and 50 First Dates, to name a few). As for his work with Tarantino, the actor played Jasper in Death Proof, and he also showed up in Kill Bill as a trucker who tries to rape the Bride.

So perhaps it's not a coincidence that when Loughran popped up in Sandy Wexler, he was playing a character by the name of Trucker Jon.

The Deer Hunter aside, Christopher Walken is always good for a laugh, so it makes sense that he's appeared in a couple of Happy Madison films. The actor played in both Joe Dirt and Joe Dirt 2 (neither of which were ever going to win an Oscar), but most notably, Walken played the part of Morty in Click. He's the mysterious guy who gives Sandler's character a magical remote control, a device that can be used to pause, fast forward, or rewind real-life events. Of course, Sandler quickly abuses his newfound powers, but luckily, Morty is there to teach the guy a few life lessons.

Interestingly, Walken plays a similar character in the movie Nine Lives, and while the film isn't directly connected with Happy Madison Productions, the plot is eerily similar to the story in Click. This 2016 family film finds Kevin Spacey's consciousness trapped inside a cat's body...a cat he bought from none other than Walken himself. Thanks to these cinematic similarities, a few internet sleuths have theorized that Click and Nine Lives take place in the same universe. After all, both movies follow workaholic dads who have their lives turned upside down after receiving an item from Christopher Walken. So perhaps the actor is playing the same character in both films, a benevolent angel a la It's a Wonderful Life who uses magic to bring families together.

In other words, look out Marvel and DC. The Christopher Walken cinematic universe is here to give you a run for your money.

Speaking of cats, there's a feline theme running through a lot of Adam Sandler movies. Take Anger Management, for example, a film where Sandler's character designs clothing for his overweight pet, Meatball. (Interestingly, that's the name of Sandler's real-life dog, who served as the ring bearer at Sandler's wedding.) Then there's Mr. Deeds, where Sandler is slandered by a disingenuous reporter after he tried to save some cats from a fire by tossing them out of a window.

In Don't Mess with the Zohan, Sandler's character actually plays hacky sack with some poor kitten, and in Funny People, Sandler lets loose with a few laughs as he watches a kid perform "Memory" from, you guessed it, Cats. But hey, we're not done with the feline jokes just yet. In I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Chuck (Sandler) falls for Alex (Jessica Biel) when she dresses up as Catwoman for Halloween. What makes this scene extra fun is that Sandler is dressed as Dracula...kind of like a certain vampire from a certain hotel in Transylvania.

If you know anything about Adam Sandler, then you know he loves working with his friends. Kevin James, Rob Schneider, and David Spade regularly show up in Sandler's projects, but there are a couple of other faces scattered throughout the Sandler universe that you might recognize.

For example, Allen Covert has appeared in a staggering number of Adam Sandler films, playing Otto the homeless guy in both Happy Gilmore and Jack and Jill. (In a nice little gag, Otto's is the name of the deli in Funny People.) And in addition to playing in Adam Sandler movies like Anger Management and Hotel Transylvania, he also showed up as a guy named Tom in both 50 First Dates and Blended. Then there's Peter Dante who's played a series of guys named "Peter" and "Dante" in films such as Little Nicky, That's My Boy, and Grown Ups 2. Terry Crews has also popped up in multiple Happy Madison films, including Click where he drops by with a musical homage to White Chicks.

But Sandler also has buddies behind the camera, including Judd Apatow. The two were roommates back when they were starting out in comedy, and since then, they've collaborated on a couple of projects. Most notably, Apatow directed Sandler in Funny People, but he also worked as a script doctor on The Wedding Singer. In other words, it doesn't matter if you're famous filmmaker or a hardworking character actor. If you're friends with Sandler, you'll never be out of a job.