It was the best of times, it was the worst of times — depending on which Gen X-er you talk to, that is. For some, the s was the pinnacle of creative music, imaginative films and innovative technology. For others, it was a whirlwind of bad hairstyles and embarrassing fashion faux pas. Along with director Frank Coraci and screenwriter Tim Herlihy, Sandler paid homage to the era of his youth with a hit musical rom-com that paired him with Drew Barrymore, "The Wedding Singer. Since his early days as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member, Sandler demonstrated not only an ability to make people laugh, but also for being a clever musician.
He built the chance to showcase those abilities into Robbie Hart, a professional wedding singer who has his heart crushed when he is left at the altar, only to potentially mend it when he meets the woman of his dreams, Julia Sullivan Barrymore.
Though it received only middling reviews when first released, "The Wedding Singer" has since been hailed as one of Sandler's better movies. Believe it or not, it's been about a quarter century since "Singer" rocked movie theaters. Many of the film's actors have since moved on to other projects, or even other careers — some more successful than others.
Anyone who loves the '80s clearly embraces the supple glow of nostalgia, so let's take a look back at "The Wedding Singer" cast, and what they're up to today. After being left at the altar, Robbie decides to hold off working weddings for awhile. Instead, he helps his friend Julia scout out a wedding singer for her own upcoming nuptials.
They set up an audition for Jimmie Moore, a vivacious singer who performs a very energetic rendition of "Ladies' Night. Classy move. Jon Lovitz plays Moore in a memorable cameo performance between old "Saturday Night Live" pals. A celebrated "SNL" alum, Lovitz has been featured in many of Sandler's Happy Madison productions over the years, including such films as " Little Nicky ," " The Benchwarmers " and " Grown Ups 2.
Lovitz is still going strong in film and television, as his IMDb page attests. Aside from a few gray hairs, Lovitz looks remarkably similar to how he did in , so whatever he's doing to stay young, that's the ticket. Yet another of Sandler's longtime pals, Buscemi separates himself from much of the Happy Madison crew like David Spade, Kevin James and Chris Rock by wielding the talents of a heavyweight dramatic actor "Reservoir Dogs," "Boardwalk Empire" — but like fellow Sandler supporting star John Turturro "Miller's Crossing," "The Batman" , he clearly enjoys letting his hair down and getting goofy between gigs.
Buscemi can be seen in "The Wedding Singer," both at the start and the end of the film as Dave, a groom's brother, who fails miserably to hide his bitterness at his brother's happiness and father's negligence during his wedding toast.
After making his point to a horrified crowd, Dave picks up a guitar and begins to awkwardly strum on the instrument in a drunken haze before Robbie gingerly has him escorted off the stage. By the end of the movie, however, it seems that Dave has finally found his calling, and he sings and plays the guitar at Julia and Robbie's wedding.
The chameleonic acting skills of Buscemi have allowed him to seamlessly transition between drama and comedy. He and Sandler met while co-starring in the movie " Airheads.
Deeds," "Grown Ups," "Hubie Halloween," and all of the "Hotel Transylvania" films. Since his time on "The Wedding Singer," Like Lovitz, Buscemi's hair is a bit grayer, but for the most part he looks the same and arguably has never been in higher demand. By the end of the second act in "The Wedding Singer," Robbie has finally acknowledged his feelings for Julia, putting him in a complicated position. After a conversation with Holly, Robbie is led to believe that Julia is marrying Glenn for his money.
His current financial position in dire straits, Robbie bites the bullet and seeks conventional employment, leading him to the local bank. Trading in his flamboyant wedding singer attire for a standard suit and tie, Robbie engages in an interview with the bank manager, Mr. Even as Simms points out to Robbie that he is in no way qualified for the job, Robbie begs out of desperation.
When it's apparent that he will in no way be offered the position, Robbie beseeches the manager for fake business cards to impress the woman of his dreams. Simms cannot be swayed, however, and Robbie sees himself out. Though the scene is brief, it's easy to recognize comedic actor Kevin Nealon as Mr.
Both Sandler and Nealon were "Saturday Night Live" cast members during the same era, and performed multiple sketches together — often with "Weekend Update" anchor Nealon introducing Opera Man , a Sandler comedic riff , or the memorable Valentine's Day segment in which Sandler sang of an affinity for his favorite sweatshirt. The two also appeared in " Take Your Shirt Off ," one of the more notorious sketches from that era.
Nealon has appeared in other Sandler films as well, including "Happy Gilmore" and "Little Nicky. If you're going to make a film that takes place in the s, it helps to have an icon of '80s culture on hand for a cameo. Where "The Wedding Singer" is concerned, that icon is Billy Idol, the English rocker with a punk attitude and leather ensemble to match. Along with one of his biggest hits "White Wedding" being featured in the movie, Idol plays himself in the third act.
Idol is first seen kicking back a bottle of wine while seated in first class on the same flight as Robbie, Julia, and Glenn. After listening intently to Robbie's story, Idol lends a hand in aiding the wedding singer to win his lady love.
He also manages to knock Glenn down a peg with the help of a die-hard fan, barring the way of the sleazy adulterer so that a flight attendant can shove Glenn into the lavatory. Though he did not continue acting after his role in "The Wedding Singer," Idol has kept busy with his musical career. He was featured on the Miley Cyrus album "Plastic Hearts," lending his gravelly vocals to the track "Night Crawling.
Robbie's sister Kate Jodi Thelen is married to the sympathetic Andy, there to lend an ear to Robbie in his time of need, and to give him a bit of advice on the affairs of the heart. The role was played by Frank Sivero, although if any '90s film lover encountered Sivero on the streets they might call him "Frankie" and tell him he needs to take back the mink.
In "Singer," Andy offers a little too much information about his personal love life in regards to Robbie's sister than Robbie would like. Though he isn't terribly happy about his wife's brother shacking up in their already hectic household, Andy is understanding of Robbie's situation and willing to help out a family member in a time of crisis. An Italian-American actor best known for his roles in "The Godfather Part II" as well as Scorsese's "Goodfellas," Sivero performed multiple roles in the decade following "The Wedding Singer," but retired from acting after his final appearance in the film "Hotel California.
Nowadays, Sivero is spending his golden years with family and reflecting fondly on his career via his personal Instagram. His black hair has grayed somewhat, but Sivero still maintains that trademark crooked smile. Besides his buddy Sammy Allen Covert , Robbie's other biggest supporter throughout this tough time in his life is his sister Kate. He and Kate lost their parents at a young age, and have relied on each other for comfort through the years.
Robbie lives with Kate and her family and is seemingly comfortable, despite the mania of a household with two rambunctious young boys.
On the day of Robbie's wedding, Kate is the one to reveal the sad news to him about Linda's change of heart. Jodi Thelen played Kate in "The Wedding Singer. Thelen had long reddish-brown hair while filming "The Wedding Singer," and it is now varied shades of gray and white. The reason she gives for abandoning him at the altar is that he is no longer the man he once was, a spandex-clad rocker that hoped to make it big one day.
Linda claims that when she woke up the morning of the wedding, she couldn't bear the thought of being married to a wedding singer. However, she later returns to Robbie and begs him to take her back, insisting she can "learn to live" with his low-status occupation. This doesn't sit well with Robbie, however, who proceeds to kick Linda to the curb. Heartbroken, Julia decides to elope with Glenn to Las Vegas, inciting a manic trip to the airport for Robbie and his friends in order to stop the wedding.
Featherstone's career since "The Wedding Singer" has quieted a bit over the years, as she has taken on fewer mainstream projects and gone for more independent work. She co-starred in the Logo channel's "Exes and Ohs" from to , and appeared in an episode of the HBO dramedy, "Girls" in She also had a part in the indie film "My Dead Boyfriend," starring Heather Graham and directed by " Top Gun " and "ER" actor Anthony Edwards.
Featherton retired the teased brunette '80s hair and now wears it long, straight, and blonde. Julia's mother Angie, though well-meaning, doesn't always have the answers that she is looking for.
Mom is thrilled with Julia's choice of Glenn, happy that her daughter will have a life of financial security. However, Angie is less inclined toward Julia's new interest in Robbie, the impoverished, mentally unstable wedding singer. What Angie doesn't realize is that Julia is miserable, and misreads the situation as her child having cold feet, rather than a change of heart. Acting veteran Christina Pickles plays Angie Sullivan in "The Wedding Singer," though most may recognize her as Judy Gellar, the mother of Ross David Schwimmer and Monica Courtney Cox on "Friends.
Pickles recently had a guest appearance in the Hulu original sitcom "Dollface," and has been a voice actor for animated series including "Family Guy" and "Tuca and Birdie. Glenn is a bonds salesman, more than willing to show off the material goods he's gained through his success — including a fancy DeLorean and a brand new, high-tech device called a CD player. He tells Robbie that he doesn't really want to get married, but he doesn't want to break up with Julia, either. That's okay, though, because he's had plenty of opportunities to play the hound dog and hook up with other women behind Julia's back.
What a catch. Glave has continued to work steadily since his role in "The Wedding Singer," appearing in both film and television. Some of his most standout credits include the TV series "ER" and "Stargate: SG1," and the Academy Award-winning movie, "Argo. In his most recent role, he played Xander in the FX original series, "Better Things. In "The Wedding Singer," Robbie's best friend Sammy, played by Allen Covert, is the best limo driver in town.
Well, to be fair, he's also the only limo driver in town. Sammy is the epitome of the cool '80s guy even if it's only in his mind , with a rad mullet, a stellar 'stache, and his red pleather Michael Jackson-inspired jacket. Though he is Robbie's closest friend, Sammy and Robbie couldn't be any more different.
Sammy likes to think of himself as a real ladies' man, but deep down all he wants is to be loved. Sammy might seem like a bit of a pill at first, but deep down he's a good friend who just wants to see Robbie happy. He tags along to all of Robbie's wedding gigs, and he does his best to cheer Robbie up when he's hit rock bottom. Covert is a friend of Sandler's from way back, as they were classmates together at NYU. He has been featured in many films alongside the comedic actor, including "Happy Gilmore," "Waterboy," "Anger Management," "Hubie Halloween," and "Murder Mystery," among many others.
Covert is also an executive producer for Happy Madison. Holly Sullivan, played by Christine Taylor, is Julia's cousin and closest confidante. Her keen fashion sense is inspired by the hottest '80s trends, with pop star Madonna as a main influence. She is a faithful friend to Julia, helping her with wedding arrangements and discussing whether or not "church tongue" is appropriate for the ceremony.
Though at first Holly has her mindset on seducing Robbie, she quickly discerns that he and Julia are completely smitten with one other. Once she makes this discovery, she aids the couple in finding their happily ever after. Taylor has made numerous appearances in movies over the years, including roles in "Zoolander," "Zoolander 2," "Dodgeball," and "Tropic Thunder" all starring her actor hubby, Ben Stiller. Her '80s-inspired perm for "The Wedding Singer" has been tamed to long, straight golden locks.
Adam Sandler starred as the titular character of "The Wedding Singer," Robbie Hart. Robbie is a hopeless romantic with a golden heart and voice , who makes his living crooning '80s hits at wedding receptions.
