Big Daddy | |
---|---|
Directed by | Dennis Dugan |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | Steve Franks |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Theo van de Sande |
Edited by | Jeff Gourson |
Music by | Teddy Castellucci |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $34.2 million [1] |
Box office | $234.8 million [1] |
Big Daddy is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler from a story conceived by Franks, and produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Rob Schneider, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, and Leslie Mann, with Allen Covert and Josh Mostel in supporting roles. The plot follows a 32-year-old man who gets dumped by his girlfriend for not accepting responsibility and then tries to be responsible by adopting a five-year-old boy who appears on his doorstep.
Produced by Giarraputo's Jack Giarraputo Productions in association with Out of the Blue... Entertainment, Big Daddy was released in the United States on June 25, 1999, by Columbia Pictures. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a success at the box office, grossing $235 million on a $34 million budget and becoming Sandler's highest-grosser domestically until Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015). [2] The film was nominated for five Razzies and Sandler won the Worst Actor category. [3]
In New York City, Sonny Koufax is a 32-year-old slacker and law school graduate who hasn't taken the bar exam, works one day a week as a toll booth attendant, has his food delivered by his friend Nazo, and lives off a $200,000 compensation from a minor accident. His girlfriend Vanessa threatens to break up with him unless he takes more responsibility. His roommate Kevin Gerrity proposes to his podiatrist girlfriend Corinne before he leaves for China to work on a case for his law firm and she accepts. Corinne vehemently dislikes Sonny because he constantly teases her about her former job at Hooters when she was in medical school.
The next day, Sonny wakes up to find Julian McGrath, a five-year-old from Buffalo left at their apartment. A note states that his mother is no longer able to care for him after falling ill and that Kevin is his biological father. Sonny contacts Kevin who is puzzled by the news. Despite his selfishness and lack of parenting skills, Sonny assures him that he will take care of Julian until Kevin returns from China. To win Vanessa back, Sonny introduces her to Julian. However, he discovers that she is now dating Sid, whom –despite being much older than her –she reveres as more motivated and intelligent with a "five-year plan".
Becoming frustrated with parenting, Sonny poses as Kevin and takes Julian to his social worker Arthur Brooks telling him that Julian should return to his mother. However, Brooks informs Sonny that Julian's mother died of cancer and offers to place Julian into a foster home. After this, Sonny rants about it in a phone call to his father, Lenny, who is shocked and infuriated with Sonny for trying to raise a child, due to his irresponsibility. Sonny decides to raise Julian his own way. They develop a strong bond and Julian helps Sonny find a new girlfriend in Corinne's lawyer sister Layla. Brooks finds a foster home for Julian and leaves messages for Sonny, but is suspicious when he does not respond.
After a meeting at school where Julian's teacher complains about the bad habits he has developed due to Sonny's influence, Sonny rethinks his parenting methods and turns Julian's behavior around. Days later, Brooks arrives to find out Sonny impersonated Kevin and threatens to have him arrested if he does not hand over Julian. Sonny complies, although Julian is hurt that he has to leave. Sonny contacts Layla to help take legal action.
In court, Layla, Kevin, and Sonny's lawyer friends Phil and Tommy represent Sonny, while his friends and even Corinne provide positive testimony for Sonny. Julian also testifies and provides information regarding his birth in Toronto (he moved to Buffalo to be with his mother), which appears to spark Kevin's memory. Sonny then calls himself to the stand and asks his father to question him. Despite Lenny's fervent belief that he is not father material, Sonny convinces him that he will not fail at being a father (his words touch the men present in court, even Brooks and his prosecution team, who all contact their own fathers to express their love for them). Impressed by Sonny's sincerity, Lenny vouches for his son to raise Julian. Nonetheless, Judge Healy [a] states that Sonny should be imprisoned for defrauding the city. However, Kevin refuses to press charges and admits to Corinne about his one-night stand during a past trip to Toronto. Judge Healy grants Kevin custody pending a DNA test. Sonny promises Julian that although he cannot be his father, he will always be there for him. He then passes Julian to Kevin and the two start to bond. Sonny still maintains contact with Julian through Kevin, often meeting up with him for activities such as basketball.
One year later, a more mature and responsible Sonny is now a successful lawyer. He is given a surprise birthday party at Hooters by his friends with Kevin, Corinne, and Julian in attendance. It is shown that he is now is married to Layla and they have a baby. With Nazo sticking around for a short time due to his other deliveries, Sonny encounters Vanessa working there as a waitress with Sid working as a cook, revealing that his "five-year plan" did not go as she had hoped. Sonny's friends and Layla celebrate Sonny's birthday.
In addition, Carmen De Lavallade appears as the judge [a] during the custody hearing, Geoffrey Horne appears as Vanessa's current boyfriend Sid, while other Adam Sandler film repeat regulars include Edmund Lyndeck as an elderly bar patron named Mr. Herlihy who claims that Sonny "fights like a girl", Steven Brill as lawyer Ted Castellucci who assists Brooks at the custody hearing, Sandler's wife Jackie Sandler as a waitress at the bar Sonny frequents and his niece and nephew Jillian and Jared Sandler as two people named Jillian and Jared. Dennis Dugan has an uncredited appearance as a reluctant trick-or-treat giver.
Principal photography took place in New York from September 24 to December 21, 1998. Pete Davidson auditioned for a role. [4] The script was originally titled Guy Gets Kid and was considered for Chris Farley. [5]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Big Daddy has an approval rating of 39% based on 93 reviews, and an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Adam Sandler acquits himself admirably, but his charm isn't enough to make up for Big Daddy's jarring shifts between crude humor and mawkish sentimentality." [6] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+. [8]
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called it "Sandler's best movie", noting that "Sandler possesses an innocence that makes the mean-spiritedness inherent in much of his work surprisingly palatable." [9] Robert Koehler of Variety called it "a step forward for Adam Sandler, as well as a strategy to expand his audience. While the loyal male-teen aud[ience] core will not be disappointed with the spate of gags just for them, story contains solid date-movie material." [10]
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said: "There's no doubt Sandler is talented, but if he persists in believing that, like Elvis, his presence alone covers a multitude of omissions and inconsistencies, he will squander his gift and make a series of forgettable films in the process." [11] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, describing the main character as "seriously disturbed" and the story as "predictable", although he did praise Joey Lauren Adams's character as "entertaining". [12]
Director Paul Thomas Anderson is a noted fan of the film, considering it one of his favorites. [13]
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor - Comedy: Adam Sandler | Won |
2000 | Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy: Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated | |
2000 | Favorite Supporting Actress - Comedy: Joey Lauren Adams | Nominated | |
2000 | BMI Film & TV Awards | Teddy Castellucci | Won |
2000 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film | Nominated |
2000 | Golden Raspberry Awards [3] | Worst Picture | Nominated |
2000 | Worst Director: Dennis Dugan | Nominated | |
2000 | Worst Actor: Adam Sandler | Won | |
2000 | Worst Supporting Actor: Rob Schneider | Nominated | |
2000 | Worst Screenplay: Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy & Adam Sandler | Nominated | |
2000 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Won |
2000 | Favourite Movie Actor - Adam Sandler | Won | |
2000 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Comedic Performance - Adam Sandler | Won |
2000 | Best Male Performance - Adam Sandler | Nominated | |
2000 | Best On-Screen Duo - Adam Sandler, Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated | |
2000 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedy Motion Picture | Won |
2000 | Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy | Nominated |
2000 | Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing Over $100M | Nominated | |
2000 | Worst Performance by a Child in a Feature Role: Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated | |
1999 | Teen Choice Awards | Film - Movie of the Summer | Won |
2000 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Under:Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated |
1999 | YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film: Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated |
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
dowse | positive [15] |
EW | B- [16] |
The film won a BMI Film Music Award. [17] The soundtrack included the following:
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
The Waterboy is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark, Peter Dante, and Jonathan Loughran play other characters.
Happy Gilmore is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Carl Weathers.
Eight Crazy Nights, also known as Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, is a 2002 American adult animated Hanukkah musical comedy-drama film directed by Seth Kearsley, written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Brooks Arthur, and Brad Issacs, and produced by Sandler, Covert, and Jack Giarraputo. It stars Sandler in his first voice-acting role, alongside future wife Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon, Norm Crosby, and Jon Lovitz. The film is animated in the style of television holiday specials and, unlike most mainstream holiday films, centers on Jewish characters and the holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
Mr. Deeds is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, alongside Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro. The film is a remake of the 1936 Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, which itself was based on the 1935 short story "Opera Hat" by Clarence Budington Kelland. It tells the story of a pizzeria owner who learns that he is the heir of a late multi-billionaire as he also meets a television reporter wanting a story on him.
Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 American absurdist romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It follows an entrepreneur with social anxiety who falls in love with his sister's co-worker. The film was produced by Revolution Studios and New Line Cinema, and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Kevin George Knipfing, known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received the nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
Allen Stephen Covert is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his starring role in the 2006 comedy film Grandma's Boy, and his supporting actor role in the movie Strange Wilderness (2008). He is a frequent collaborator of actor and friend Adam Sandler with prominent roles in such films as Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Little Nicky (2000), Mr. Deeds (2002), Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004) and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007).
Dennis Barton Dugan is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films Problem Child, Brain Donors, Beverly Hills Ninja and National Security, and his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, for whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Benchwarmers, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Jack and Jill and Grown Ups 2. Dugan is a four-time Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director nominee, winning once.
Weekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character. Don Novello was featured almost exclusively on the news segment as his breakout character, Father Guido Sarducci, and Tim Kazurinsky, in the face of Eddie Murphy's overshadowing popularity, created characters almost exclusively for Update. Before becoming an anchor on Update, Colin Quinn used the segment as his main sounding board as well.
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is a 2006 Canadian comedy crime film based on the television series Trailer Park Boys itself a sequel to the 1999 film of the same name. The film follows characters Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles creating a plan for the Big Dirty, one last crime that will enable them to retire from their criminal lives. The film, like the series, was directed and produced by Mike Clattenburg, with Ivan Reitman as an executive producer. It was released in Canada on October 6, 2006, and a limited release in the United States began on January 25, 2008. It has developed into a cult film since then.
Timothy Patrick Herlihy is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and playwright.
You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 American satirical action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan; written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow; produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo; and starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider with supporting roles by Kevin Nealon, Ido Mosseri, Dave Matthews, Michael Buffer, Charlotte Rae, Sayed Badreya, and Daoud Heidami.
Jack Giarraputo is an American film producer who co-founded Happy Madison with Adam Sandler. Most of his work has been in films starring Sandler.
The Razzie Award for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film adapted from some forms of original or previous material. This category covers films that are sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots, spin-offs, film adaptations of other media franchises, mockbusters and "rip-offs".
Grown Ups is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf, produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo, and starring Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. The film tells the story of five lifelong friends who, after winning their junior high school basketball championship in 1978, reunite three decades later for a 4th of July weekend after learning about the sudden death of their former coach.
Jack and Jill is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a script by Steve Koren and Adam Sandler. Released on November 11, 2011 by Columbia Pictures, the film stars Sandler in a dual role as the titular twin siblings, as well as Katie Holmes and Al Pacino. It tells the story of an advertisement executive who dreads the visit of his unemployed twin sister during Thanksgiving and overstays into Hanukkah at the time when he is instructed to get Al Pacino to appear in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial.
That's My Boy is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Sean Anders, written by David Caspe, and produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Heather Parry, and Allen Covert. It stars Sandler and Andy Samberg alongside Leighton Meester and James Caan, with Vanilla Ice, Tony Orlando, Will Forte, Milo Ventimiglia, and Susan Sarandon in supporting roles. The film follows Donny Berger (Sandler), a middle-aged alcoholic who once enjoyed celebrity status for being at the center of a teacher-student statutory rape case, as he tries to rekindle his relationship with his adult son, Todd Peterson/Han Solo Berger (Samberg), born as the result of that illicit relationship, in hopes that their televised reunion will earn him enough money to avoid going to prison for his tax debts.
Grown Ups 2 is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups and stars Sandler alongside Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello and Nick Swardson. Lenny moves his family back to his hometown, where he reunites with his old friends. Together, they face bizarre situations and new enemies in the form of a local fraternity.
Blended is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Written by Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera, the film stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore as two single parents who went on a blind date together and never wanted to see each other again afterwards. To their surprise, they both end up at the same African safari resort with their children and are forced to stay together. The film's ensemble cast also features Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, and Wendi McLendon-Covey. South African cricketer Dale Steyn makes a cameo appearance as himself.