Title: That’s My Boy
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, Vanilla Ice, James Caan, Milo Ventimiglia, Blake Clark, Meagen Fay, Tony Orlando, Will Forte, Rachel Dratch and Nick Swardson
Adam Sandler movies work in their own universe. For the most part, these are movies that tell stories about despicable people trying to find their way through the world but have to adhere to a common sense of morality. This is pretty consistent with Adam Sandler movies. Whether it be “Billy Madison,” a movie about a man-child forced to become an adult or “Jack and Jill,” a movie about dealing with your very unlikable family. Despite their protagonist faults or defects, they have to shine through with enough heart and emotion, and breakthrough the hardened exterior to the warm, sensitive person within. This is why most Adam Sandler films are so broad and accessible. This is why people like Adam Sandler’s movies.
That being said, “That’s My Boy” borders on pandering to a juvenile sense of humor and out-right dumb sensibilities. It’s a movie that should, not just be taken with a grain of salt, but rather dosed with salt making it indigestible and should just be thrown out as useless. This is also why most of them don’t work as movies. There is no balance between the heartwarming and the juvenile. These movies are just silly and stupid for stupidity’s sake.
Never mind the child molestation humor which starts off the film or the lack of responsibility character’s are unwilling to accept or that incest is actually a plot point in the movie, take into consideration that “That’s My Boy” is dumb and mind numbing. It’s almost as if, the team at Happy Madison Productions asked how could we top child molestation, I know someone said, let’s throw in incest. All of the elements in the movie are never introduced, set up or thought out. It just seems thrown together and presented to the audience as comedy gold. Comedy isn’t easy and just being dumb and juvenile doesn’t make it any good, it makes it annoying.
It feels like someone force-feeding you alcohol all night, after a long night of drinking the night before. You’re hung-over and tired and not in the mood to drink. Sure you might get a few laughs at the beginning of the night but ten minutes into it you realize that this was a mistake. Duh!
Technical: D-
Acting: F
Story: F
Overall: F
by @Rudie_Obias
