It would be counterintuitive to suggest that Adam Sandler has only gotten better as an actor, and it’s downright undeniable that his increased comfort in front of the camera has resulted in some dull performances in some lousy movies. But an unflinching look at his filmography of the past 10 years or so—admittedly not for the faint of heart—reveals some risks taken amidst movies where he plays a smugly unfunny rich asshole.

Sometimes the two types of performances exist side by side: It’s easy to sneer at Sandler getting in drag to play the braying, Bronx-born Jill in Jack and Jill, but there’s visible effort (and sometimes startling, sweaty detail) in that character, as opposed to the surly, condescending version of a straight man that the Jack character lazily embodies. Sandler also underplays wonderfully in You Don’t Mess with The Zohan and does a kind of heartfelt caricature in the recent Netflix release Sandy Wexler. All of it makes one think, "Is Adam Sandler a good actor?"

Really, 2017 seemed to be a good year for Sandler. He'd had a tough few years, starring in such films as Pixels and The Ridiculous 6 (a film that earned an impressive 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). Then out of nowhere, he started getting an early festival buzz with glowing reviews (and award speculation) for his performance in Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Now, with an exclusive Netflix deal, he has another promising movie in the works, this one co-starring Chris Rock.

But right as things started going his way, Sandler ended up back at the bottom. Here's how:

It wasn't a usual Wednesday night for people who travel through New York's subway. Singing for annoyed passengers, TMZ caught Sandler after shooting a special at Comic Strip Live. He was found disguised in a hoodie and glasses on the Times Square platform a few raunchy new songs.

Sandler used the platform to sing about wearing shorts, "scary shit," and walking in on his parents having sex, while a man he'd probably never met before plunked away on an electric piano nearby. However, passengers soon recognized his trademark voice and a large crowd surrounded Sandler as he performed a medley of original songs. It surely wasn't a good gig for those who recognized him.

Dressed in multiple jackets and wearing sunglasses underground, Sandler drew a pretty sizable crowd. Although a few stoic straphangers breezed right by him, perhaps failing to realize that the strange, hooded man singing about sex was a major celebrity. For them, it was just another day in New York City's subways.

Not sure whether Sandler's reputation now will continue to derail or might go uphill (miraculously).