| Big Daddy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| 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 |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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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 Americancomedy-drama film directed byDennis Dugan, and written bySteve Franks,Tim Herlihy, andAdam Sandler. The film stars Sandler,Joey Lauren Adams,Jon Stewart,Rob Schneider,Dylan Sprouse,Cole Sprouse, andLeslie Mann. The plot follows a 32-year-old man whose girlfriend leaves him for not accepting responsibility and then tries to be responsible by adopting a five-year-old boy who appears on his doorstep.
Big Daddy was released in the United States on June 25, 1999, byColumbia Pictures, and received mixed reviews from critics. It was a success at the box office, grossing $235 million on a $34 million budget. It was nominated for fiveGolden Raspberry Awards and Sandler won the Worst Actor category.[2]
In New York City, Sonny Koufax is a 32-year-old slacker who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam. He works only one day a week as a toll booth attendant and lives comfortably off a $200,000[a] settlement from a minor accident. Lacking ambition and responsibility, Sonny spends his days lounging around, much to the frustration of his girlfriend Vanessa, who threatens to break up with him unless he grows up and changes his ways.
Sonny's roommate Kevin Gerrity, a successful lawyer, proposes to his girlfriend Corinne, a podiatrist, before leaving for China on a work assignment. Corinne accepts but openly dislikes Sonny, largely because he constantly mocks her former job atHooters, which she worked while paying her way through school.
The next morning, Sonny wakes up to find a five-year-old boy named Julian McGrath abandoned at the apartment. A note explains that Julian's mother, Jan, can no longer care for him due to illness and claims that Kevin is Julian’s biological father. Sonny contacts Kevin, who is shocked and confused by the news. Despite having no parenting experience, Sonny promises to take care of Julian until Kevin returns from China.
Hoping to win Vanessa back, Sonny introduces her to Julian, but she reveals that she is now dating Sid, an older and seemingly accomplished man whom she admires for his intelligence and clear five-year plan. Discouraged, Sonny struggles with the realities of caring for a child and soon becomes overwhelmed.
Frustrated, Sonny impersonates Kevin and takes Julian to social worker Arthur Brooks, asking that the boy be returned to his mother. Arthur instead informs him that Julian's mother has died of cancer and suggests placing Julian into foster care. Unable to allow that, Sonny reluctantly agrees to keep Julian until an adoptive family can be found.
Sonny vents about the situation to his father, Lenny, who is furious and believes Sonny is far too irresponsible to raise a child. Ignoring his father’s doubts, Sonny decides to raise Julian his own way. Over time, Sonny and Julian form a strong bond, and Julian even helps Sonny begin a relationship with Layla, Corinne's sister and a lawyer. Meanwhile, Arthur finds a potential adoptive family for Julian but becomes suspicious when Sonny avoids returning his calls.
After Julian's teacher complains about the bad habits he has learned under Sonny's influence, Sonny reevaluates his parenting and makes a sincere effort to improve both his and Julian's behavior. Shortly afterward, Arthur arrives and confronts Sonny, having discovered that he impersonated Kevin, and threatens him with arrest unless he gives up Julian. Heartbroken, Sonny complies and turns Julian over much to Julian's sadness. Determined to fight for him, Sonny asks Layla to help prepare a legal case.
In court, Layla, Kevin, and Sonny's lawyer friends represent Sonny, while friends and acquaintances testify on his behalf. Layla has Julian testify as well, revealing details about his birth inToronto, which triggers Kevin's memory. Sonny then takes the stand and asks his visiting father to question him. Though Lenny initially doubts Sonny, he is ultimately convinced by his son's sincerity and growth, moving the entire courtroom and inspiring everyone to call their dads to express their love for them. Despite this, Judge Healy[b] is still unconvinced and orders Sonny imprisoned and denies him custody.
Kevin then admits that Julian was the result of a one-night stand years earlier and insists the charges be dropped. Judge Healy grants him custody pending a DNA test, and although Julian is devastated, Sonny promises he will always remain part of his life. After the test confirms Kevin is Julian's father, Sonny passes him to Kevin and the two begin bonding, while Sonny continues to stay involved.
One year later, Sonny has completely transformed his life. He is now a successful lawyer, married to Layla, and a father himself as well as being Julian's uncle. At a surprise birthday party, Sonny encounters Vanessa working alongside Sid, whose once-promising plans never materialized. The film ends on a lighthearted note, highlighting how far Sonny has come.
In addition,Carmen De Lavallade appears as the judge[b] during the custody hearing,Geoffrey Horne appears as Vanessa's current boyfriend Sid, while other Adam Sandler film repeat regulars includeEdmund 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 future wifeJackie Titone as a waitress at the bar Sonny frequently visits 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 inNew York while interior shots were done atSilvercup Studios from September 24 to December 21, 1998.Pete Davidson auditioned for a role.[3] The script was originally titledGuy Gets Kid and was considered forChris Farley, who died the year before.[4]
The film grossed $41.2 million on its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office.[5] At the time of its release, it had second-biggest opening weekend for a comedy, behindAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (which was released two weeks earlier), as well as the highest grossing non-sequel comedy opening ever at the time.[6] This also made it the highest opening weekend for an Adam Sandler film, replacingThe Waterboy.[6] The film would hold this record for four years until the opening ofAnger Management in April 2003.[7] In its second weekend, the film dropped 36 percent to $26.4 million over theFourth of July weekend, ranking at #2 behindWild Wild West.[8][9] The film grossed $16.3 million in its third weekend, ranking at #3 behind the latter film andAmerican Pie.[10][11]
OnRotten Tomatoes,Big Daddy has an approval rating of 39% based on 92 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 forBig Daddy's jarring shifts between crude humor and mawkish sentimentality."[12] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade B+.[14]
Nathan Rabin ofThe 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."[15] Robert Koehler ofVariety 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."[16]
Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times said: "There's no doubt Sandler is talented, but if he persists in believing that, likeElvis, 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."[17]Roger Ebert of theChicago 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".[18]
DirectorPaul Thomas Anderson is a noted fan of the film, considering it one of his favorites.[19]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor - Comedy:Adam Sandler | Won |
| Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy:Dylan and Cole Sprouse | Nominated | ||
| 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[2] | Worst Picture | Nominated |
| Worst Director:Dennis Dugan | Nominated | ||
| Worst Actor: Adam Sandler | Won | ||
| Worst Supporting Actor:Rob Schneider | Nominated | ||
| Worst Screenplay:Steve Franks,Tim Herlihy & Adam Sandler | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Won |
| Favorite Movie Actor - Adam Sandler | Won | ||
| 2000 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Comedic Performance - Adam Sandler | Won |
| Best Male Performance - Adam Sandler | Nominated | ||
| 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 |
| Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing Over $100M | Nominated | ||
| 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 |    [20] |
| dowse | positive[21] |
| EW | B-[22] |
The film won aBMI Film Music Award.[23] Thesoundtrack included the following:
