Books & Adam Sandler Movies (The Power of Target Demographics)

Don’t let the title of this blog fool you, this is not a comparison of book plots that are similar to Adam Sandler movies or some ill-advised takedown of Adam Sandler’s undeniable comedic appeal (to some). Instead, this blog is about how books and Adam Sandler movies are similar, regardless of content, plot, rating, critic scores, etc.

For me, I have been a fan of Adam Sandler since his early Saturday Night Live days. I have fond memories of sitting at my grandparents lake house with my brother and some of our friends and cousins huddled around the TV on Saturday nights to watch the hilarity of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Rob Schneider, and David Spade unfold. As the group of funny men spread their wings beyond the weekly skit show, I eagerly and happily consumed their content but Adam’s content from his movies to his comedy albums quickly became my favorites.

My mother, however, did not share my appreciation for his art. Movies like Billy Madison were seriously not her cup of tea. It has been 30 years since Billy Madison was released but for the last 30 years she has not let me forget that I liked that movie while she loathed it. That movie single-handily has created a permanent divide between the two of us when it comes to my movie recommendations. Though I guess it’s fair, she recommended Elvis’s music to me. Blech! Turnabout is fair play I suppose.

But again, this isn’t about me vs my mom and our different taste in comedy or music.

Now, as a fan of Adam’s many movies, cameos, and comedy routines, I’ve heard a lot of criticisms from others over the years. “He isn’t funny.” “His comedy is so immature.” “It’s always the same moronic teenage comedy.” And things of the like are what I commonly hear.  Even looking at reviews online from others I find similar sentiments  that talk about his movies always being “formulaic” or “basic and predictable.” 

And when I see or hear those comments I can’t help but laugh. Clearly the comedy in those movies and routines was not meant for those dissenters. Comedy is an art form, just like paintings or fashion. What is attractive or beautiful to one may not be perceived the same by another. It doesn’t mean that the artist, fashion designer, or in this case, comedian is bad but rather you aren’t their target demographic. Much like how I don’t like the music or movies of Elvis Presley, I wasn’t his target demographic. There’s no denying Elvis’s contributions and impact on the music industry, even 48 years after his death. Just as there is no denying Adam Sandler’s impact on comedy.

And just like Adam Sandler’s love him or hate him content, books are the exact same. Some books are silly comedies. Some books are intense dramas. Others are gory horrors. As such, they aren’t going to be for everyone. As a writer (and a reader) it is important to keep in mind the target demographic for each story. When writing, understand that not every reader/reviewer will be part of your target demographic and those outside of that target are more likely to have a less positive experience with your content. Likewise, if you are a fan of murder mystery books, don’t be surprised or bitter if you choose to pick up a coming of age book and it doesn’t live up to your expectations based on your preferred genre or writing style.

Just like Adam’s comedies, books are written with a specific audience in mind. That won’t mean that others won’t consume that material but it also means that the material shouldn’t be judged solely on the perceptions of others. If you are a fan of silly, slapstick comedy, don’t listen to my mother’s opinion because she’s not the target demographic for those movies/shows.

As a reader, know what you like and trust your own judgement. If you read something and find it doesn’t appeal to you, ask yourself why. Is this book written in a different style that you don’t like? Did you start reading the book expecting it to be more like something else you liked only to find that it was not what you thought? Did you branch out into a new genre or sub-genre and find that the new content was not what you thought or not to your liking? If the content doesn’t suit you, is it that the genre is not a genre you prefer or is the writing just that poor? 

The reason I suggest that you ask yourself these questions is simple. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean that someone else won’t enjoy it. By understanding what it is about the content that you don’t like, you can A) make better decisions later about new content that might be more favorably received and B) any comments, reviews, or feedback you provide about the content can be better tailored to suggest who may or may not like the content vs a general “this sucks” or “so dumb” type comments. If you ask my mother, all Adam Sandler movies are “dumb” despite her not having seen them all and simply basing her judgment on the quality of all his works on her impression of 1 movie. Conversely, I would say that just about every Adam Sandler movie is at least worth the watch because I appreciate his type of humor and look for the underlying complexity to the stories he tells behind the silliness of the comedy. Believe it or not, many of Adam’s movies deal with complex themes and common issues in adult relationships or parent-child relationships that many of us can relate to once we look past the comedic nature of the storytelling.

There is often more to the silly, basic, mind-numbing comedies that were so prominent in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s that so many people seem to hate. Sure, they may have been childish, immature, and more…but they did so with a purpose aimed at a specific target audience. Books are often the same. A story can involve intense combat with graphic details regarding someone’s agonizing death or steamy sex scenes with very descriptive details about the sexual acts taking place but often such details are there for the target audience while supporting the story’s underlying themes or concepts. Books, like movies, have to find a balance between entertainment and conveying a point. Every story, regardless of the media it’s presented in or the genre it chooses to use as its conveyance, has some form of theme. Friendship. Coming of age. Sexual awakening. Good over evil. The power of teamwork. Something if not a combination of themes. Marvel’s The Avengers is an action-packed sci-fi movie but it shares common themes as Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda, an animated film for kids about anthropomorphic animals. And both of these movies share similar themes as Jackie Chan’s Rush Hour movies. Three different movies. Three different genres. Three different target audiences. But yet all three share common themes about good versus evil, the power of teamwork, the power of friendship, the responsibility that comes with power and/or morality. Someone may prefer 1 of these movies over the others but just because you don’t care for Chris Tucker as an actor, or dislike animated movies because “they’re for kids”, or think superhero movies are for “nerds”, that doesn’t mean that any of them are bad movies. It just means that you’re probably not the target audience and failed to see the message in the story because you were too wrapped up in how it was being delivered instead of what was being delivered.

But hey, that’s just my two-cents. Feel free to disagree because that’s the joy of humanity. We all have different perceptions and different opinions. I’m not here to say that we should all agree on everything but simply to consider that what we agree or disagree with isn’t always the sentiment of others. While I encourage people to give feedback and review services, books, movies, and more…I always like to remind people that your experience is not necessarily the same experience of others so be sure to think about what it is about your experience that you liked or disliked. What can you do to ensure the same or different outcome in the future? What specifically can others be aware of going into a similar experience that will help them maximize their enjoyment or avoid a potential disappointment? The details matter. Does 1 bad movie or book by an actor or writer mean that their entire collection of work should be condemned or perhaps are there certain titles that should be prioritized over others as quality can fluctuate from one project to another?