Big Daddy (1999 film)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox film 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, and received 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).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards and Sandler won the Worst Actor category.<ref name="Razzie">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Plot

In New York City, Sonny Koufax is a 32-year-old slacker and law school graduate who has not 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.

Sonny's 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. She vehemently dislikes Sonny because he constantly teases her about her former job at Hooters to put herself through podiatry school.

The next day, Sonny wakes up to find Julian "Frankenstein" McGrath, a five-year-old from Buffalo, New York left at their apartment. A note states that his mother Jan 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, he introduces her to Julian. However, Sonny 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 after a few days, Sonny poses as Kevin and takes Julian to his social worker Arthur Brooks telling him that Julian should return to his mother. However, Arthur informs Sonny that Julian's mother died of cancer and offers to place Julian into a foster home. Unwilling to allow Julian to be placed in a foster home, Sonny agrees to keep Julian until a family can be found to adopt him.

After this, Sonny rants about it in a phone call to his father Lenny, who is shocked and infuriated with him 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. Arthur finds a family for Julian and leaves messages for Sonny, but becomes concerned when he does not respond.

After a meeting at school where Julian's teacher complains about the habits he has developed due to Sonny's influence, Sonny rethinks his parenting methods and adjusts both his and Julian's behavior. Days later however, Arthur reveals he has found out Sonny impersonated Kevin and threatens to have him arrested if he does not hand over Julian. Sonny reluctantly complies, although Julian is hurt that he has to leave. Sonny contacts Layla to help plan a case regarding Julian's future.

In court presided by Judge Healy, Layla, Kevin, and Sonny's lawyer friends Phil and Tommy represent Sonny, while his friends and even Corinne provide positive testimony and tell Judge Healy he is a suitable father. Layla also has Julian testify as well and he provides information regarding his birth in Toronto before moving with his mother to Buffalo, which sparks Kevin's memory. Sonny then calls himself to the stand and asks Lenny (who is visiting from Florida) 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 Arthur and his prosecution team, who all contact their own fathers to express their love for them. Impressed by Sonny's sincerity, Lenny and the whole courtroom vouches for Sonny to raise Julian. This is interrupted by Judge HealyTemplate:Efn who still believes that not only should Sonny not get custody of Julian, he should be also be sentenced as well for defrauding the city and orders her bailiff to remove him.

However, Kevin (now able to explain that he is Julian's father) admits to Corinne that Julian was the result of a one-night stand with a Hooters waitress when he and Sonny flew up to Toronto during the 1993 World Series. He apologizes to her, and insists that Judge Healy drop the charges. She grants Kevin custody pending a DNA test much to Julian's dismay but Sonny promises Julian that although he cannot be his father, he will always be there for him and still considers him part of his family. After Kevin is confirmed to be Julian's biological father, Sonny passes him 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, Sonny has completely turned his life around. He is a successful lawyer, is married to Layla, and they now have a child of their own. Sonny is given a surprise birthday party at Hooters by his friends with Kevin, Corinne, Nazo, and Julian in attendance. He is then surprised to see 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.

Cast

In addition, Carmen De Lavallade appears as the judgeTemplate:Efn 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 future wife Jackie 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.

Production

Principal photography took place in New York while interior shots were done at Silvercup Studios from September 24 to December 21, 1998. Pete Davidson auditioned for a role.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The script was originally titled Guy Gets Kid and was considered for Chris Farley, who died the year before.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $41.2 million on its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time of its release, it had second-biggest opening weekend for a comedy, behind Austin 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.<ref name="OpenHuge">Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> This also made it the highest opening weekend for an Adam Sandler film, replacing The Waterboy.<ref name="OpenHuge" /> The film would hold this record for four years until the opening of Anger Management in April 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In its second weekend, the film dropped 36 percent to $26.4 million over the Fourth of July weekend, ranking at #2 behind Wild Wild West.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film grossed $16.3 million in its third weekend, ranking at #3 behind the latter film and American Pie.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical response

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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="metacritic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+.<ref>BIG DADDY (1999) Template:Webarchive CinemaScore</ref>

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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Director Paul Thomas Anderson is a noted fan of the film, considering it one of his favorites.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Result
2000	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Actor - Comedy: Adam Sandler	Template:Won
		Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy: Dylan and Cole Sprouse	Template:Nom
		Favorite Supporting Actress - Comedy: Joey Lauren Adams	Template:Nom
2000	BMI Film & TV Awards	Teddy Castellucci	Template:Won
2000	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Film	Template:Nom
2000	Golden Raspberry Awards<ref name="Razzie" />	Worst Picture	Template:Nom
		Worst Director: Dennis Dugan	Template:Nom
		Worst Actor: Adam Sandler	Template:Won
		Worst Supporting Actor: Rob Schneider	Template:Nom
		Worst Screenplay: Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy & Adam Sandler	Template:Nom
2000	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Movie	Template:Won
		Favorite Movie Actor - Adam Sandler	Template:Won
2000	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Comedic Performance - Adam Sandler	Template:Won
		Best Male Performance - Adam Sandler	Template:Nom
		Best On-Screen Duo - Adam Sandler, Dylan and Cole Sprouse	Template:Nom
2000	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedy Motion Picture	Template:Won
2000	Stinkers Bad Movie Awards	Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy	Template:Nom
		Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing Over $100M	Template:Nom
		Worst Performance by a Child in a Feature Role: Dylan and Cole Sprouse	Template:Nom
1999	Teen Choice Awards	Film - Movie of the Summer	Template:Won
2000	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Under: Dylan and Cole Sprouse	Template:Nom
1999	YoungStar Awards	Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film: Dylan and Cole Sprouse	Template:Nom

Soundtrack

The film won a BMI Film Music Award.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The soundtrack included the following:

Track listing

1. "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Sheryl Crow (Guns N' Roses cover)
2. "When I Grow Up" by Garbage
3. "Peace Out" by Adam Sandler (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
4. "Just Like This" by Limp Bizkit
5. "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by Everlast (a Neil Young cover)
6. "Ga Ga" by Melanie C
7. "What Is Life" by George Harrison, covered in movie by Shawn Mullins
8. "The Kiss" by Adam Sandler (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
9. "Instant Pleasure" by Rufus Wainwright
10. "Ooh La La" by The Wiseguys
11. "Sid" by Adam Sandler (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
12. "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman
13. "Smelly Kid" by Adam Sandler (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
14. "Passin' Me By" by The Pharcyde (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
15. "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite
16. "Hooters" by Allen Covert (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
17. "Babe" by Styx
18. "Overtime" by Adam Sandler (a sound clip from a scene in the movie)
19. "The Kangaroo Song" by Tim Herlihy (made specifically for the movie)
20. "The Best of Times" by Styx (only a portion of the song)

Other songs used in the film

• "Dancing in the Moonlight" by The CrownSayers (originally done by King Harvest)
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics
• "Sweet Child o' Mine" a re-recorded version taken from a live version played by Guns N' Roses mixed with a recording with the 1999 Guns N' Roses lineup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• "Jump" by Van Halen background music on the answering machine message in Sonny's apartment
• "Growin' Up" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Save It For Later" by Harvey Danger (originally by The English Beat)
• "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" by Styx
• "Night's Interlude" by Nightmares on Wax (Song played during opening credits)
• "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" by Elvin Bishop

Songs from the theatrical trailer but not in the film

• "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)" by Zapp and Roger
• "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

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