Next Friday, SoHo will host New York’s first competition dedicated to Adam Sandler impersonators. The event, which is free and open to the public, coincides with the release of Happy Gilmore 2, a sequel to the film released in 1996 that became an instant commercial success and helped establish the actor in the 1990s as one of the leading performers in the U.S. comedy-demotional genre. Anyone who feels akin to the actor’s style and energy is invited to get involved: up for grabs, a field hockey stick inspired by the film, a bag of pickles – one of the actor’s favorite snacks, often mentioned in jokes or gags featured in his films – and the honorary title of “New York’s Supreme Sandman.”
The location will be The Vesuvius Playground, known for being the field where Sandler played an amateur game with Timothée Chalamet, in an episode that went viral. The contest has already garnered more than fifty entries on the Partiful platform, and the jury will evaluate participants based on visual resemblance, attitude, and ability to evoke the actor’s signature dim humor.
Advice for those who want to participate: not so much a perfect aesthetic likeness is sought, but the ability to embody the “Sandler-esque” spirit – goofy, relaxed, ironic – through clothing, voice and posture. References range from the iconic characters played by the actor to his personal, deliberately unkempt style. Awards are given to those who can return an affectionate caricature rather than a formal imitation.
The one dedicated to Sandler is in fact not an isolated case. In the past year, celebrity look-alike contests have multiplied in New York, becoming true viral phenomena, capable of involving hundreds of participants and attracting great attention on social networks. Last month, for example, a crowded contest dedicated to Pedro Pascal, star of the TV series The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, took place on the Lower East Side. Even then, the winner had surprised with his striking resemblance to the original actor, creating a small media case in the local community.
In October, however, it had been the turn of Timothée Chalamet, a young U.S. star beloved by the younger generation, who had surprised everyone by appearing in person for a few minutes at the pageant organized in his honor. The actor’s brief appearance had generated excitement and chaos among the audience, and today there are those hoping for an appearance by Adam Sandler at the pageant dedicated to him.
The article An Adam Sandler look-alike contest comes from TheNewyorker.
