Sort By: By Genre  |  By Rating  |  By Year

Starring: Adam Sandler
Director: Dennis Dugan
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1999
Rating: 3 / 5

With the overwhelming success of The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, Adam Sandler officially crossed the boundaries into the $20 Million Club. His increased value is a direct correlation to his ability to consistently bring in top opening weekend grosses and to his ever-expanding appeal. With Big Daddy, Sandler attempts to expand that appeal even farther, and while the effort is admirable, the results are somewhat disappointing. Sandler's latest film, designed to appeal more to children and women, certainly did just that, as ticket sales for this movie reflected an even younger demographic and an equal male-female split. However, along the way, the film lost a little of the uproarious humor of his most recent performances.

Big Daddy is the story of Sonny Koufax (Sandler), a law school graduate nearing thirty who is loafing around life thanks to a cushy insurance settlement a couple years prior. Working one day a week as a toll booth operator (simply to pass the time), Sonny has no prospects, no drive, and, ten minutes into the movie, no girlfriend. It seems she has tired of his act, and is wondering when he will start thinking about his future. Determined to win her back and prove everyone, including his father, wrong, Sonny adopts the adorable Julian, a precocious five-year-old who is allegedly the son of Sonny's roommate Kevin (Jon Stewart). Unimpressed by this overture, Sonny's girlfriend again rebuffs him, leaving him with a responsibility he never wanted in the first place.

Needless to say, Sonny begins to fall for the rebellious Julian, just as Julian slowly comes to love Sonny as a father. Complications do arise, specifically involving the government and Kevin, yet all rights itself in the end. Sonny even finds himself a new girlfriend (Joey Lauren Adams), the sister of Kevin's fiancee Corrine (Leslie Mann). All in all, it has the makings of a rather entertaining feel-good comedy. To a degree...

Big Daddy clearly has the memorable lines and scenes that are an Adam Sandler trademark, yet the humor in this film is rather uneven. Interminable lulls follow sequences of hilarious hijinks, and I found myself praying for the arrival of the next humorous instance. It certainly did not help matters that the vast majority of the funniest scenes were replayed again and again in the movie's trailers. Sandler plays the same lovable hero that he does in most of his films, though he suffers from some rather poor writing in this instance. He does display an ability to move beyond sheer raucous humor, but this talent is much more evident in The Wedding Singer. While Joey Luaren Adams does deliver a ray of sunshine as Sonny's new squeeze Layla, we learn little about her character and her reasons for falling for Sonny. Twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse do little to distinguish themselves as Julian, though they in no way hamper the flow of the film. For a few scenes that will surely live on in Sandler lore, Big Daddy is certainly worth a peek. For a quality display of Sandler's overall talents, there are certainly much better examples than this.

Cast:

Adam Sandler..........	Sonny Koufax
Joey Luaren Adams..........	Layla
Jon Stewart..........	Kevin
Rob Schneider..........	Delivery Guy
Leslie Mann..........	Corinne
Cole/Dylan Sprouse..........	Julian

Certification: Rated PG-13 for language.
Running Time: 95 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
Comments: Send E-mail