Big Daddy Review
by Jamey Hughton (bhughton AT sk DOT sympatico DOT ca)August 5th, 1999
BIG DADDY
*** (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Adam Sandler, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Leslie Mann and Kristy Swanson
Director-Dennis Dugan
Rated PG
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Although the picture of Adam Sandler raising a child is a frightening thought, he is acting as a father figure in his newest comedy. Big Daddy gives us an impression of what the spawn of Sandler may appear as, and the result is much sweeter than suspected.
As his newest character, Sandler plays an incomparable slob named Sonny Koufax, a law-school graduate who works one day a week at a toll booth and spends the other six on the couch. That’s when a five-year old problem walks up to his door, in the form of a child who claims to be his roommate’s long-lost son. Unfortunately, the lucky father (Jon Stewart) is on his way to China for a business trip. Sonny, for reasons unknown at the time, takes the kid into open arms and decides to give him a dose of the real world.
Young Julian is played by the tag-team acting duo of Cole and Dylan Sprouse, two irresistibly cute twins who show a minimal stretch in acting talents, but constitute perfectly for the demands of the role. Sonny gives Julian a taste of his regular afternoon schedule, which consists of going to the park and watching the roller bladers tumble to their doom. Of course, the two lonely souls become attached to each other, and Sonny begins to raise the little demon as his own.
But Sonny insists on teaching Julian the basics of being a proper, well-mannered young lad. He shows him that any and all spills can be soaked up by a well-placed sheet of newspaper. He instructs him to dent their cans of Alpha-Getti at the supermarket so that they can get the discount price. He gives him a handy-dandy slingshot and a bag full of marbles to slaughter innocent pigeons on the back deck. But despite the fact that Sonny is offering Julian a completely misguided view on growing up, it’s obvious that he cares about the kid. And Sandler, the king of naughty toilet humor, appears to be showcasing some charm here, much the way he did in The Wedding Singer. Big Daddy does have a wider range than something like The Waterboy, which appealed to only 13-25 year-old males in dire need of physical humor. But don’t misread, this is not his Truman Show. Big Daddy has the regular quotient of pee-pee jokes and Sandler-orientated vulgarity, only toned down with sprinkles of sweetness carefully mixed into the solution.
And he never did have a better chance of getting the girl either. There are three respectable leading ladies in Big Daddy. Kristy Swanson plays Sonny’s original girlfriend Vanessa, until she runs off with a man twice her age (or “Old Man River” as Sonny so eloquently puts it). Leslie Mann plays Jon Stewart’s stressed out fiancee, who is unable to socialize because she once worked as a waitress at Hooters restaurant. The most shimmering performance of all comes from Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy) as Mann’s sister Layla, who falls head over heels for Sonny. Well, mostly because of the cute child he’s dragging around.
Big Daddy has plenty of funny moments; no gargantuan laughs, but a few dozen hearty chuckles spaced evenly throughout. The finale in a courtroom is played too seriously, and the premise gets drowned in sentimental goo as it goes along, but the result is still rather charming and entertaining. Adam Sandler movies are not intended to be art. They exist to give people a good laugh, and Big Daddy manages just fine.
It’s also nice to see a jump in maturity for Sandler and company here, even if it’s just a marginal one. There are still bizarre supporting characters, but no one truly annoying. Rob Schneider is funny as an illiterate delivery man, as is Steve Buscemi in a small role as an Egg McMuffin craving homeless man. Watch for some of Sandler’s Waterboy co-stars to appear as a few of his business partners and beer-guzzling friends. But sorry, no Farmer Frau.
It’s commendable of Adam Sandler to be attempting a change of pace. But, fans of the big goof aren’t going to be disappointed with Big Daddy. Perhaps Sandler isn’t so much an embarrassment to Hollywood as he is a savior to the movie-going public. I feel I’m ready to finally accept the comedian for what he is. And after this makes 200 million at the box office, I’d bet your money on more projects to come.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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