BIG DADDY A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
Adam Proudly-Rude-And-Obnoxious Sandler is back. This time he uses his mean-spirited shtick to teach our kids a series of would-be humorous, bad lessons. From how to ridicule poor, minimum wage clerks to how to cause bodily injury to innocent bystanders, Sandler lays it on thick.
"From now on, you do what you want to do" is the credo he gives to the 5-year-old under his care. And when Sandler says anything, it means exactly that. Do anything you want without any regard to whether it hurts you or others. Telling a 5-year-old that life has no limits is the height of irresponsibility.
The contrived setup has Sonny Koufax (Sandler) adopting Julian (played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse), the recently discovered son of his roommate (Jon Stewart). Sonny hopes that this will impress his current girlfriend, Vanessa (Kristy Swanson). It doesn't. By the movie's schmaltzy ending, it will, however, have won over the heart of his new love interest, played by Joey Lauren Adams from CHASING AMY.
The movie shamelessly tries to shock you -- from the unexpected, big gay kiss to the vomit scene so realistic that you can see the exact contents of Julian's most recent meal. In a scene that grade-schoolers will no doubt attempt to emulate, Julian spits up a long, sticky stream of the contents of his mouth until it touches the ground and then sucks it all back in. Sonny beams with admiration as his buddies watch the new trick that he has taught his son.
The sadistic movie has Sonny showing Julian how to have fun by tripping speeding rollerbladers with a stick. Julian, no surprise, will emulate this and other bad behavior to the detriment of his classmates, including one whose arm gets broken in the process. Julian, like his adoptive father, thinks such anti-social antics are funny.
In the movie's signature comedy routine, Sonny teaches Julian how to urinate in public. When Julian has trouble peeing on a restaurant wall, Sonny pees with him so the kid will be properly motivated.
The movie's most egregious action has Sonny taking Julian for a late morning breakfast at McDonald's. When they arrive too late, Sonny screams obscenities at the friendly but helpless clerk who tells him that breakfast is no longer available. If you don't get exactly what you want in life, when you want it, the movie wants us to feel empowered to demean those who've had the bad luck to cross our paths.
The humor generally is on the level of laughing about whether Julian can wipe his own rear. Some jokes are funny, even if barely. For a nightlight for Julian, Sonny pulls out a large neon sign that points to "Live Nudes."
In a funny joke that went over much better in the faster paced trailers, Sonny finds out that his girlfriend has dumped him for a 60-year-old guy. "He has a 5-year plan," Vanessa gives as the reason she has fallen for her new beau. "What is it?" Sonny asks sarcastically. "Don't die?"
The movie, which celebrates bad behavior, will undoubtedly have audiences composed largely of 9-14 year olds, as was ours. The marketing of the movie is clearly aimed at that group. The tearjerker ending tries to eradicate the teachings of the rest of the movie with a big message that you should call your father up and tell him that you love him. It doesn't fly. It's like a murderer showing up at the funeral to say how sorry he was that the deceased passed away. Nice sentiment, but much too late.
BIG DADDY runs 1:33. It is rated PG-13 for language and some crude humor. The film is acceptable for teenagers but questionable for those much younger.
My son Jeffrey, age 10, loved the film and gave it *** 1/2, saying it really cracked him up. Except for the throwing up and spitting, he liked it all.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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