Adam Sandler is one of his generation’s most iconic comedy actors. His early works, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, etc., are among the most well-known and acclaimed. While later movies have seen a more “mixed” critical reception, Sandler has no doubt made his mark. But what if there was a secret Easter egg in several of his movies? And what if that Easter egg was hidden in plain sight?
In several Sandman pictures, his female love interest has the initials “VV.” There’s Veronica Vaughn, Virginia Venit, Vicki Vallencourt, and more. But not every onscreen partner has these initials, so what’s the story with the ones that do? Have we stumbled down some new conspiracy theory rabbit hole? Is “VV” a secret sign warning of what’s to come? Or is it just Sandler being Sandler and making up funny names? In all likelihood, the latter is the case. But just for fun, let’s look at some of the ladies with the “V” names and why they may have been named that way. Also, if he was going to commit to this bit, why only do it in some movies?
Various Venerable “VV” Visions in Adam Sandler’s Films
Sandler’s first post-Saturday Night Live leading role was as the titular man-child in Billy Madison. That movie introduced us to the first VV, Billy’s third-grade teacher, Miss Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson). His second hit, Happy Gilmore, continued the trend with Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen). It could just be a coincidence, right? In The Waterboy, Sandler’s Bobby Boucher falls for Vicki Vallencourt (Fairuza Balk) and marries her by the movie’s end. Sandler even later finds love as the son of Satan. In Little Nicky, he falls for design student Valerie Veran (Patricia Arquette).
Sandler’s “VV” love trend mostly died out after his earlier hits, but it has been revisited in recent years. In 2020’s Hubie Halloween, Julie Bowen returned to play the new role of Violet Valentine. Sandler’s titular Hubie also ended up marrying Violet in this original Netflix flick. Bowen is set to reprise her role as Virginia Venit in this year’s upcoming Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix.
So why did Sandler start this trend then seemingly abandon it in the early 2000s? It’s possible he just wanted to shake things up. He stuck with the whole “funny names” thing, as evidenced by Drew Barrymore’s Julia Gulia in The Wedding Singer. Winona Ryder’s Babe Bennett in Mr. Deeds keeps the double-letter format while swapping “V” for “B.”
| Names in Sandler’s Films | Adam Sandler Movie |
|---|---|
| Veronica Vaughn | Billy Madison |
| Virginia Venit | Happy Gilmore |
| Vicki Vallencourt | The Waterboy |
| Valerie Veran | Little Nicky |
| Violet Valentine | Hubie Halloween |
| Lena Leonard | Punch-Drunk Love |
| Babe Bennett | Mr. Deeds |
| Janeane Johnson | Reign Over Me |
| Daisy Danby | Funny People |
| Mary McGarricle | That’s My Boy |
| Courtney Clarke | Sandy Wexler |
The Connections and Cameos in the Sandlerverse
Fans of Sandler know how he likes Easter eggs and shared universes. It’s the “Sandlerverse,” if you will. Carl Weathers reprised his Chubbs Peterson role from Happy Gilmore in Little Nicky, now working as a dance instructor in Hell. Rob Schneider’s “You can do it!” guy from The Waterboy also pops up in Little Nicky, and his delivery man character features in both Big Daddy and Mr. Deeds. The homeless caddy from Happy Gilmore resurfaces in Jack & Jill. How Al Pacino actually agreed to do that one is still up for debate, though.
Ben Stiller’s Hal L. was a breakout star in Billy Madison, and he returns as the mental institution nurse in Hubie Halloween. Several cameos and character names are recycled from previous movies, furthering the idea of a cinematic universe. Does this mean that in this universe, there are hundreds of people out there who look and act just like Adam Sandler? Not a bad idea for a deep dive.
Beyond characters and names, Sandler has several co-stars whom he frequently recruits to be in his movies. Perhaps the most famous is Allen Covert, who’s written or produced several Sandler starrers. He also appears onscreen, though primarily in cameo roles. Sandler’s real-life wife Jackie has also made numerous cameos, finally landing a starring role beside her husband in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
Tim Herlihy, Robert Smigel, and Dennis Dugan are frequent Sandler writers/directors who are also obligated to appear onscreen from time to time. And, of course, there are Sandler’s friends Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, Nick Swardson, Steve Buscemi, and even tennis great John McEnroe. Drew Barrymore, Julie Bowen, and Jennifer Aniston have the distinction of serving as love interests in several different movies.
So what does all this prove? It means that Adam Sandler likes connecting his films through Easter eggs and recurring stars and characters. As for the “VV” trend? Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no solid answer out there. After starting the trend in Billy Madison, Sandler likely kept it going as an inside joke with no real explanation. Perhaps he abandoned it for the same reason. He also loves odd and funny-sounding words, as any fan would know. “V” isn’t one of the more common starting letters for first or last names, so having several double-V names makes the characters stand out. Whatever the true explanation is, it’s just another example of Sandler’s movies setting themselves apart from everyone else’s.
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2025-03-16 23:05