Adam Sandler Once Sent Military Copies of ‘Anger Management’ With Extra Footage
Actor Adam Sandler has a large array of comedies in his filmography, including Anger Management. However, he always saw the importance and the power of making audiences laugh. Regardless of harsh critics, the actor continued to make the content that he wanted to. Sandler once sent military bases free copies of Anger Management with personalized extra footage.
‘Anger Management’ helped to change Adam Sandler’s image for the better
Anger Management follows Dave Buznik (Sandler), who is a businessman who gets into an incident on board a plane. He’s ultimately forced to take anger management classes to avoid a jail sentence. However, Dave will have to learn to work with the teacher, Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson) to help overcome his inner demons.
Sandler was no stranger to comedy at the time, but Anger Management was another stepping stone to changing his image over the course of his career. Punk-Drunk Love established his ability as a dramatic actor, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing comedy features. Anger Management allowed Sandler to play a fully-realized adult character with responsibilities.
Adam Sandler sent military bases copies of ‘Anger Management’ with personalized footage
Dwayne Epstein’s book, Adam Sandler, explores the ups and downs over the course of his personal life and career. The actor’s success didn’t necessarily happen overnight, but he did find new ways to challenge himself and the audience. Sandler got along with Nicholson on the set of Anger Management and it gave him another opportunity to expand his horizons.
However, Epstein pointed out that Sandler wanted to do some additional good with Anger Management. Therefore, he decided to send free copies to military bases with some personalized footage for the troops.
“When the film opened, Sandler also took it upon himself to send copies to military bases overseas during the Iraq war,” Epstein wrote. “This version of the film was slightly different in that a 5-minute prologue was added. It consisted of Sandler personally thanking the troops for what they were doing in the war against Saddam Hussein.”
The movie earned big business at the box office
Sandler’s Anger Management hit the silver screen in April 2003. The film surprised many analysts when it took over the box office, similar to how The Waterboy did. Anger Management set new box office records for the opening weekend of a comedy, bringing in more than $133 million. Additionally, Epstein wrote that it’s one of Nicholson’s highest-grossing movies.
Meanwhile, Anger Management marked Sandler’s fourth starring movie to rake in more than $100 million at the box office. The film continues to take on life as a favorite of many Sandler fans, who enjoy the chemistry between him and Nicholson. The actor managed to take a formulaic comedy that his fans were familiar with and morphed it into his growing image in a way that would further push his career.
