Big Daddy Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)June 28th, 1999
“Big Daddy” – Big Dud
by Homer Yen
(c) 1999
This is the third movie that I’ve seen with Saturday Night Alumni Adam Sandler, the other two being “The Wedding Singer” and “The Waterboy.” And having moderately enjoyed his last two offerings, I can say that the one thing that really works for him is that he does well in stories where he plays a simple-minded-underachieving-doofus-turned-hero. When he plays the gentle soul who occasionally releases his bottled-up feelings of frustration, we can laugh at those minor eruptions. And we can generally laugh at his clueless demeanor and the way that he sort of just lucks into the happy ending. These ingredients are what give Adam Sander the power to turn meaningless fluff into comedic, blues-chasing films. However, none of that happens in this film. And the result is a generally lifeless film that Sandler just doesn’t have the talent to save.
Sandler plays Sonny Koufax, an underachieving jerk who is living off the money won through a lawsuit. Though he seems to possess some kind of underlying intelligence, he has no concept of responsibility and would rather spend his time displaying his skewed pathological behavior, such as screaming at fast food clerks and throwing branches in the path of oncoming inline skaters. His lackadaisical attitude prompts his girlfriend (Kristy Swanson) to leave him, telling him to grow up. He needs a quick-fix solution. Amazingly, a lost waif shows up at his doorstep. His name is Julian and he is in search of his Dad who may be Sonny’s roommate (played by Jon Stewart). Well, his roommate is travelling, and Sonny, in his infinite wisdom, decides to keep him as his own son. He supposes that this decision will teach him responsibility. His decision will also prove that the rest of this movie will amount to the entertainment value of 3AM diaper changes.
As a parent, Sonny should be reported to social services. When Julian requests a night light, Sonny brings him a neon sign that says “Live Nudes.” When Julian wets his bed, Sonny cover the wet areas with newspaper and then places Julian on top. And what fatherly things does Sonny teach to his child? Among other things, they include fielding hard-hit baseballs, learning how to spit in a most disgusting manner, and peeing on sides of buildings whenever it is convenient. Sandler is just trying to have fun with this material, but the more I thought about Sonny being a father to Julian, the more appalled I became.
In “Big Daddy,” Sandler can’t take the reigns of the material, which deserves more weight. The material was weak to begin with, and I think that Sandler knew that. To compensate, there are other components of this film. We meet up with an introspective homeless man (Steve Buscemi who probably did this as a favor to Sandler) and are introduced to two college buddies who are openly gay (if you are offended by two men lustfully kissing, close your eyes upon seeing them for the first time). We also meet his roommate’s girlfriend who was a former Hooters girl. The unfunny Hooters jokes go on and on and after a while, I was really surprised that she just didn’t shoot Sandler. The only sane element was Sandler’s new girlfriend, Layla (Joey Lauren Adams). Too little too late. The film finally reaches the epitome of discomfort at the finale, which involves a court scene where Sonny tries to convince everyone that he is a worthy father. Perhaps a court will sentence this to a quick trip to the video store.
Grade: C
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