Adam Sandler Pays Tribute To Billy Madison As Film Turns 25 Years Old

Adam Sandler may be giving his acting chops more of a serious spin these days, but I'm sure most of you still remember his dafter, earlier days - which included such iconic films as Billy Madison.

Thankfully he's not forgotten his roots, having taken to Twitter to mark the movie's 25th anniversary with a poignant bathtub snapshot from one of its most memorable scenes, writing: "25 years today and yet the jury's still out: shampoo or conditioner? Love, Billy."

The movie, which was released back on 10 February 1995, saw Sandler star as the titular spoilt man-child, whose carefree, partying life is turned upside down when his father sends him back to school.

While it was critically panned, like many of Sandler's early comedies it went on to become something of a cult hit.

And Sandler clearly has a soft spot for it, having posted a snapshot from the 90s flick, throwing back to a scene in which Billy conjures up a make-believe argument between his shampoo and conditioner bottles.

"Shampoo is better! I go on first and clean the hair!" he says in the clip, waggling the shampoo bottle in the air.

Holding up the conditioner, he then says: "Conditioner is better! I leave the hair silky and smooth!"

While we'll never know which of the two haircare products is, in fact, superior, the legacy of the film lives on - as proven by the comments on Sandler's post.

Universal

Many took the moment to post some of their favourite Billy Madison quotes, with one fan writing: "STOP LOOKIN' AT ME SWAN!"

Another said: "It's too damn hot for a penguin to be just walkin' around here."

A third added: "Sun tan lotion, good for meeee. You protect me, tee hee heeeeee."

Of course, more recently Sandler's taken a slightly different direction, having starred in tense crime thriller Uncut Gems.

Directed by Benny and Josh Safdie, the film sees Sandler step into the shoes of charismatic yet reckless jeweller Howard Ratner, who is constantly on the lookout for his next big deal, however high the stakes become.

While Sandler missed out on an Oscar nomination, he won several awards for his performance, including an Independent Spirit Award.

As he took over the mic, the actor went straight into character, telling the crowds in his best Waterboy voice: "Hello my name is Adam Sandler... I stand before you trembling with glee as I receive your so-called best actor trophy, independently speaking, of course."

He went on to say: "You know, a few weeks back when I was, quote unquote, snubbed by the Academy, it reminded me of when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative category 'best looking'.

"That accolade was given to a jean jacket wearing, feather-haired douchebag by the name of Skipper Jenkins."

After joking that he was instead given the award for 'best personality', Sandler declared: "The Independent Spirit Awards are the 'best personality' awards of Hollywood.

"Let all those feather-haired mother-f***ers get their Oscars tomorrow night. Their handsome good looks will fade in time. Our independent personalities will shine on forever!"

Sandler also poked fun at his own pitfalls over his long-running career, noting his role in Funny People 11 years ago was 'the last time critics pretended not to hate me for five f***ing minutes'.

Uncut Gems is available to watch on Netflix now.

Topics: Adam Sandler, Entertainment, TV and Film

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman