Adam Sandler movies seem to go from one extreme to the other. Either they are classic great ones like, Happy Gilmore or horrifyingly bad like Jack and Jill. That’s My Boy is somewhere in the middle. There are moments that you do laugh, as well as certain moments when you are just plain embarrassed for all involved in this film. My best guess is that Adam Sandler fans will enjoy this movie, but it will fall short for most everyone else.
The first bit of bad news is the voice Sandler chooses to use throughout the film. It’s incredibly annoying. A tragic mix of old woman meets Boston through her nose! So get ready for 114 minutes of that. Donny (Sandler) the former famous kid known for getting his teacher pregnant is now grown up and still stuck in the 1980s. He was awarded his son when his teacher was sent to prison for 30 years for her incorrigible act of having an affair with a student. Donny does the best he can with a son he names Han Solo, but he is a child raising a child and fails miserably. Han (Andy Samberg) leaves his father when he turns 18, changes his name to Todd, gets his life together, and becomes very successful; he is now engaged to Jamie (Leighton Meester), a controlling but very beautiful woman that keeps the now anxiety ridden Todd under wraps.
Donny at one time makes a lot of money having his story become national news; he hangs out with Vanilla Ice, and several other child stars that have all squandered their success. Now, as an aged man that never grew up, he finds he needs to pay over $40,000.00 in back-taxes or he is going to jail. He decides to place a long shot bet, as well as see if he can convince his son to do a reunion show at the prison for $50,000.00. He crashes the home of Todd’s boss (Tony Orlando) a couple of days before the wedding and shocks everyone. Todd does not admit that Donny is his estranged father, and plays him off as his old best friend. Donny is nominated to become Todd’s best man, and the shenanigans proceed. There is a bachelor party that one of the groom’s co-workers plans that is an evening at a man’s spa. This won’t do, so Donny takes the snooty crowd to his favorite strip club. Todd and his father are building their relationship back and get wild on the town. The next day, is when the big reunion show is to take place at the prison, Todd knows nothing about this, and decides to go visit his mother he hasn’t seen in a long time. Donny tries to stop him; he doesn’t want their now great relationship to be spoiled by his son thinking his dad just came to get money. Inevitably Todd does find out, and casts his father out of his life forever. As you might guess, this is not the end. Donny finds out some crucial information about Todd’s bride that he must share with him before he marries her.
In conclusion many people need to be mentioned that have smaller roles. Susan Sarandon is her usual sultry self as the older teacher Donny fell in love with. The very fit James Caan as Father NcNally will surprise you with just how great he looks. Will Forte as Phil (the co-worker of Todd’s) is by far my favorite as the nerdy, dry witted husband of Saturday Night Live’s, Rachel Dratch. Both actors have great moments; I would have liked to have seen more of them. Overall, as I said earlier, That’s My Boy is not Adam Sandler’s best work, but certainly not his worst.
Betsy Cizek
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