The Adam Sandler Paradox is a videographic essay by YouTube creator – Dodford. This video takes an in-depth look at the life and career of actor Adam Sandler. More specifically, it delves into the many different roles that Sandler has played in his life. Before discussing the quality of the video, I wanted to make a sidenote regarding what entices a viewer to click on a video and commit their time to someone else’s work. It has become apparent to me that thumbnails are important, but perhaps the most important factor is the title, which I also consider the topic of the video.

The past three video essays I have written a commentary on have all had an intriguing title regarding a topic that jumps out at me. While the title, The Adam Sandler Paradox, may not necessarily jump out at all people, I have had this interest in Sandler’s acting. I had watched Uncut Gems, Punch-Drunk Love, Hustle, and this actor’s roundtable video, which all clued viewers to his acting depth. He also elicits much respect from actors around the table who are generally considered more “serious”.

Back to the video essay, this video captures all of these elements, using clips from the media I had just described. In that sense, the video satisfied my expectations. The video essay is well-organized, going through Sandler’s career chronologically. It is not very selective regarding the clips used, as several different clips are littered throughout the video. In fact, these clips comprise the entire video. All in all, I think the video effectively makes its point and keeps the audience intrigued throughout.