Forty-five years ago today, a baby boy named Adam Richard Sandler was born to an electrical engineer and a nursery school teacher in Brooklyn. After breaking big on Saturday Night Live at the age of 24, Sandler would go on to become one of the most successful actor-comedians of our generation and an even more successful movie producer. In spite of the scathing reviews that his films generate, we still love him as an entertainer, laugh maker and occasionally dramatic actor. So gather around the cake, sing-squawk a few off-key bars of "Happy Birthday" and let's name Sandler's finest onscreen moment.
So many movies to choose from! Although the Saturday Night Live alum has had some funny -- adorable even -- moments in legitimate comedies like Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer, showed some dramatic range in Spanglish and Reign Over Me, and you know, successfully fit into a pair of tight jean shorts in You Don't Mess with the Zohan, I think his finest moment onscreen occurred in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2002 drama Punch-Drunk Love.
In an unlikely turn for Sandler, the actor provided depth, darkness and sadness as Barry Egan, a lonely, harmonium-tapping executive who flies into occasionally violent bouts of rage. In the following [NSFW] scene, watch as Sandler's character is pushed to his limit after being scammed by a phone-sex company and demands to speak with a supervisor (Philip Seymour Hoffman). For this role, Sandler earned his first and only Golden Globe nomination.
Now, what do you consider to be Sandler's finest onscreen moment?