Sandler Walks the Tightrope

There are two film personas to comedian Adam Sandler. One is the crazy goofball epitomized in “The Waterboy.” The other is the more sensitive guy exhibited in “The Wedding Singer.” The first appeals largely to teenage boys, while the other appeals to many girls and older women. This week, a movie that could appeal to both genders will make its debut as Columbia Pictures rolls out the new Sandler comedy “Big Daddy.” In the film, Sandler plays an irresponsible law school grad who assumes custody of a little boy (played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse) in an effort to impress his girlfriend. Judging by the poster Columbia put out, which depicts Sandler and boy urinating on a wall, (see related Counterpunch, F3) the film would seem to be made in the mold of “The Waterboy,” with outrageous sight gags and bathroom humor geared to teenage boys. But the film also has a sensitive side that could make it a winner with girls, too. “If he can walk that tightrope, he’ll continue to be very successful,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Exhibitors Relations Co. “The ads with them urinating against a wall tell us this is not an older person’s romantic comedy. It says, ‘This has an edge to it.’ There is an implied irreverence to it.” Sandler’s earlier films did marginally well--”Happy Gilmore” grossed $38.6 million and “Billy Madison” took in $25.4 million domestically, but Sandler became a huge box office star last year on the strength of “The Wedding Singer,” which grossed $80.2 million in North America, and “The Waterboy,” which astounded everyone by raking in $161.5 million. Dergarabedian believes that, in a strange way, “The Wedding Singer” helped turn “The Waterboy” into a monster hit. “I think a lot of women were hesitant to see a Sandler movie, but after they saw him in ‘The Wedding Singer,’ it opened the door for ‘The Waterboy,’ ” he explained. “With an opening weekend gross of $39 million, there was no way that only young boys saw ‘The Waterboy.’ ”

Summer Heats Up at Record Stores

Record stores have lots of new titles to tempt pop fans this week, including Carlos Santana’s “Supernatural,” which features such celebrated guest stars as Lauryn Hill and Dave Matthews, and “No Boundaries,” a benefit collection with a lineup that includes Pearl Jam and Alanis Morissette. There’s also a live album from Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan, the soundtrack for the upcoming Will Smith movie “Wild Wild West” and the second album from hot New York rapper Ma$e. But don’t look for any of them to come close to breaking the stranglehold that the Backstreet Boys and Ricky Martin have had on the charts for four weeks now--their albums have sold around 2.6 million and 2.1 million copies, respectively. Of the newcomers, McLachlan and “Wild Wild West” are expected to generate the most sales--both possibly in the 200,000 range for the week, predicts one high-level retailer. Because of the anticipated box-office heat for the film, which opens June 30, “Wild Wild West”--which features Smith and other hip-hop stars--is being counted on to be one of the strongest packages of the summer. Smith’s last album, “Big Willie Style,” has sold more than 5.4 million copies and his title track from the new album is already a radio smash.

Cable Touts ‘Kids and Family’

After all the talk in Congress last week about the media’s negative influence on children, the cable industry appears to have picked a fortuitous time for its third annual “Tune In to Kids and Family Week.” Cable channels have chosen this week to trumpet all the programming available that’s “free of excessive violence, strong language and sexual themes or content.” The initiative addresses not only criticism from Capitol Hill but also brethren in the broadcasting industry, who have pointed out that there is far more sex, profanity and violence on cable than the major networks, from wrestling to “South Park” to uncut movies. The campaign kicks off with a half-hour special, “Just Think,” which will air simultaneously at 7:30 tonight on roughly two dozen cable channels. Moderated by Fox’s James Brown, the program focuses on the power that words, symbols and actions have pertaining to cultural diversity, tolerance and race relations. Those endorsing the effort include the Girl Scouts, the American Academy of Pediatrics and various educational organizations, but then, how could even the TV industry’s most ardent critics oppose something called “Kids and Family Week”?

--Compiled by Times staff writers