Today’s quick review: Big Daddy. Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler), a slacker who never takes responsibility for anything, has a change of heart when he meets Julian (Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse), the illegitimate son of Sonny’s roommate Kevin (Jon Stewart). With Kevin out of the country, Sonny decides to take care of the boy himself. But when Sonny tries to adopt the boy as his own, he faces an uphill legal battle.
Big Daddy is a comedy starring Adam Sandler as an underachiever who sets out to raise a five-year-old boy. Given the chance to care for a friend’s son, Sonny Koufax applies his own lax standards and lazy work ethic to the challenge of being a father. Big Daddy aims to be a funny and heartfelt story about a man finding meaning through parenting. However, hit-or-miss humor and shaky plot logic keep it from being a complete success.
Big Daddy is at its best when Sonny and Julian are just hanging out. Adam Sandler fits the role of Sonny perfectly, a playful and sarcastic man who defies social conventions. The shortcuts he takes when raising Julian lead to some fun results, and his offbeat approach to parenting give the movie a distinct flavor of comedy. For his part, Julian makes for a young and suitably impressionable partner for Sonny’s antics.
Big Daddy is on shakier ground when it tries to be meaningful. In theory, Big Daddy has the perfect setup for a heartfelt story about a man learning to care about others. But in practice, the story is too poorly motivated to hold much water. Sonny decides to adopt Julian on a whim, and this fact undermines the movie’s later attempts to make their relationship matter. The result is a story with less heart than it wants to have.
Big Daddy is a fine pick for fans of Adam Sandler or anyone in the mood for a kid-themed comedy. Fun character interactions and a decent premise make the movie a worthwhile watch, but its emotional arc leaves something to be desired. Give it a shot if you’re looking for some light laughs. Skip it if you are looking for subtle character work or a fulfilling story.
For a heartfelt adventure about a boy getting used to his new home, try Secondhand Lions. For a more dramatic movie about an irresponsible man learning to take care of a child, try Hard Surfaces. For a stylized action comedy about a slacker picking up the pieces of his life, try Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
[6.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142342/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for decent comedy that makes a few missteps.