Big Daddy is a very enjoyable movie. I was flipping back and forth over the weekend trying to figure out how to review this film. Despite its flaws, it is still very funny and very clever. However, its flaws distract from the movie-going experience. Adam Sandler is making his way up the ladder. He should no longer be regarded as a "goofball" comic. For those of us accustomed to his goofball antics, it is a disappointment to see him change his ways. However, The Wedding Singer and Big Daddy are both funny and Sandler is not a disappointment in either. Sandler does an admirable job as Sonny Koufax, a lazy law school grad who won a lawsuit for $200,000 dollars and, therefore, lounges around all day. He works one day a week in a tollbooth and thinks he can live this way for the rest of his life. However, things start to change all around him. His girlfriend Vanessa wants him to grow up and she leaves him for a more "mature" man. His roommate (Jon Stewart) is leaving for business in Asia, but before he leaves, he proposes to his girlfriend (Leslie Mann). Sonny hates his roommate's new fiance and cannot believe all the changes in his life. Things get started as Stewart leaves the country and a child is left at Sonny's door. This is where the major flaws occur. First, Stewart just disappears. After Assuring Sonny that the child is not his son, Stewart just disappears. He is in the first ten minutes and the last ten minutes of the film. And he basically serves no purpose in either. I have no problem with Jon Stewart; in fact he can be quite funny. But, he is used only as a tool to get Sonny the child and any unknown actor could have been used. The other flaw is when the child, Julia, is dropped off with Sonny, things move to fast. They all of a sudden become great friends and Sonny starts acting a little more civilized and mature. These things are bothering, but do not detract from the clever comedy in the film. After Stewart leaves and Sonny gets the kid, things fall into place and Sandler goes to work. The relationship between the child and Sonny develop nicely. For once in a Sandler film, there is some depth. Sonny wants to raise the kid the way he lives life, with the motto: "Do what you want." But, it is great how the plot shows maturation in Sonny through raising the kid. But do not worry Sandler fans, there may be a clever script and depth in the plot, but it is all done through Sandler's humor. Cole and Dylan Sprouse, the twin brothers who play Julian, Sonny's adopted son, play their naive role terrifically. They are the perfect complement for Sandler's unpredictable comedy. Joey Lauren Adams is Sandler's romance interest in the film and she turns in a solid performance, although her role was slightly underwritten. Rob Schneider is great as the paranoid deliveryman. He shows that Sandler still knows his goofball "roots" and you can tell this is a Sandler idea. Schneider not only tells some great jokes himself, but he sets up Cole and Dylan Sprouse for some of their comedy. Now, I was ready to give this movie a terrific rating heading into the homestretch. I could not even fathom the bad reviews this film was getting. Despite the trip-ups in the first twenty minutes of the film, the next hour made up for it. Then, things went sour. Jon Stewart comes back for the ending and things get screwed up. After all the bonding between Sonny and the child, Jon Stewart wins custody after realizing he was the father. Now, you would expect Jon to give the child to Sonny? No, he keeps the child. Then they all of a sudden become good friends, Sonny starts practicing law and they end the film as they started: with a surprise party, just Sonny is the guest of honor this time around. Well, this ending is just downright terrible. How could they do that? They ruined a perfectly good comedy. But, despite all of this, I still recommend that anyone see this film. It is funny and if your one of these people who leaves film early, then this is the film for you. Two And A Half Stars our of Four Stars The Movie Page- http://jump.to/moviepage Reviews, Previews, News and So Much More!
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