The disclaimer comes at the end of every movie’s credits:

“Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.”

In Adam Sandler’s upcoming comedy “The Do-Over,” that statement may need to be bolded and underlined.

After the movie’s trailer debuted on April 20, Sandler discovered he had a doppelganger: Syracuse University alumnus Max Kessler. But their physical similarities aren’t what made the discovery shocking. It’s the fact that in “The Do-Over,” Sandler’s character is also named Max Kessler.

After posting on Reddit about the coincidence, the real Kessler not only got a response from Sandler — he received an invitation to the premiere of “The Do-Over.”

Kessler first realized he had a look-alike in sixth grade, when he went to overnight camp and met new kids for the first time that pointed out his resemblance. But the Sandler similarities were solidified when the 2014 graduate of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management headed to Syracuse University.

Kessler’s friend and fellow Whitman graduate Seth Kaufman said it’s something he — and everyone at SU — noticed immediately.

So when a friend sent him a Facebook message with a link to the movie’s trailer, Kessler thought it was a joke. It was just too weird to be true.

“But then more and more people kept telling me and writing on my (Facebook) wall, so it was like ‘Alright, I guess it’s real,’” Kessler recalled. “‘Either I’m falling for a massive prank right now, or it’s real.’”

He didn’t have a Twitter or Reddit account, and never tried reaching out to Sandler on social media before. But Kessler couldn’t just overlook this coincidence. A friend suggested sharing it on Reddit, so Kessler posted side-by-side pictures of himself and Sandler — and the post went viral.

Kessler said he hoped for maybe 100, maybe 1000 people to see it. Instead, as of 6:45 Tuesday night, more 6.8 million people have seen the picture so far.

Most importantly, Sandler saw it.

And he didn’t just see the post. Sandler responded with a picture of himself making a funny face, holding a sign that read “But can you do this, Max?”

Kessler stuck his tongue out, crossed his eyes and snapped a picture, this time with a sign reading “Impressed?”

“Once we got the first response, the funny face, I was thinking that that was it,” Kessler said.

But that wasn’t the end. Sandler shot back one last picture, holding a sign telling Kessler he could come to the May 16 premiere of “The Do-Over.” Kessler hasn’t gotten details yet, but is hoping he’ll hear back this week.

Though he’s never tried too hard to reach out to Sandler, Kessler said he’s always wanted to meet him.

“Over time, I started to become more of a fan of him because I looked like him,” Kessler said. “Which might be dumb, but when everyone says you look like Adam Sandler, you kind of develop this thing.”

While he was majoring in accounting and finance at SU, Kessler decided he couldn’t waste the similarity. He went to an open call for Sandler’s movie “That’s My Boy,” a movie where Sandler’s character meets his estranged son.

Kessler said casting directors recognized how much he looked like Sandler, but he still missed out on the role because it was changed to be for someone younger. Sometimes, Kessler wonders if Sandler’s name in “The Do-Over” is a callback to his audition.

“Is it from when I tried out? Did someone happen to look back at the casting tape and see it?” Kessler questioned. “I think it’s a coincidence, but there is potentially that possibility.”

Kessler isn’t getting too hung up with the question. Instead, he’s planning his eventual meetup with Sandler.

Though he probably won’t have time at the premiere, Kessler plans to talk basketball with the actor. Maybe, he’ll even get to play some one-on-one and test Sandler’s jump shot.

But Kessler has an even bigger question. After years of hearing it from everyone, he’s wondering if Sandler thinks the two look alike.

Depending on how that question gets answered, Kessler said he thinks there could be a movie in his future. He doesn’t expect Sandler to immediately offer him a role. But if the actor needs someone to play his son or past self, Kessler’s ready.

“The power of social media is crazy, and I’m extremely happy that I was finally able to get in touch with him,” Kessler said. “Whatever else happens from there would be awesome.”

Published on May 2, 2016 at 8:54 pm

Contact Kathryn: kjkrawcz@syr.edu | @kathrynkrawczyk