Movie Info
Movie Name: Big Daddy
Studio: Out of the Blue… Entertainment
Genre(s): Comedy
Release Date(s): June 25, 1999
MPAA Rating: PG-13
When you gotta go, you gotta go
Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler) is a slacker. Granted a settlement in an accident which keeps him from having to work, Sonny spends his days working a tollbooth and goofy off. When his girlfriend Vanessa (Kristy Swanson) threatens to dump him for being irresponsible, Sonny decides to prove he is responsible by unofficially adopting the illegitimate son of his roommate Kevin (Jon Stewart). With Julian (Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse) his responsibility, Sonny decides to raise Julian the way he wanted to be raised as a kid…but kids raising kids doesn’t always work out.
Directed by Dennis Dugan, Big Daddy is an Adam Sandler comedy. The film was a box office hit but received mixed reviews from critics. The movie won a Razzie for Worst Actor (Adam Sandler) with nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Supporting Actor (Rob Schneider), Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.
Scuba Steve says take a shower!
Adam Sandler is a pretty divisive “actor”. I use actor in quotation marks because unlike some of his contemporaries, he’s done little prove that he’s just a comedian in a movie (the exception would probably be his performance in Punch Drunk Love). Big Daddy does have some laughs but it isn’t very different than other Adam Sandler comedies.
The storyline for the movie does provide a bit of a different outcome than you might expect. The idea of him raising a kid without rules is pretty predictable, but the end of the movie isn’t entirely expected. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to the kid…and that is a decent story if it can keep you guessing and engaged.
I’m surprised they didn’t put a fart joke in right here…
Adam Sandler doesn’t do much different in this film than any of his other comedies. The humor is pretty lowbrow and involves him yell a lot. He does have some nice support from Julian who is played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse. Jon Stewart plays the real father (and it is odd seeing him as an actor after years of Daily Show). Kristy Swanson plays Sandler’s girlfriend, but Joey Lauren Adams ends up being the “good girl”. Sandler regulars Steve Buscemi and Rob Schneider also have roles.
Big Daddy is a pretty standard comedy. I enjoyed it slight more than many Adam Sandler comedies, and if you like Adam Sandler, it is one of his better comedies. I want to like Sandler more because he seems to enjoy his roles and looks like he’s having a good time during his movies…I just don’t think the movies end up being very fun or very good.
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