Big Daddy
A Columbia Pictures release

review by Joe Mauceri

Sonny Koufax is a 32-year-old law school graduate who fortune has smiled upon and fostered his "Peter Pan" syndrome. His girlfriend backs him into an emotional corner, so under false pretenses he adopts a five-year-old boy, Julian, to impress her. Sandler's BIG DADDY combines themes from films like "Three Men and a Baby," "Little Miss Marker," and 90's set ups. Story content is parred down to fit in many of Sandler's bits and one-liners. Cole & Dylan Sprouse are admirable as Sandler's straight man. The rest of the cast serves as window dressing, with little character development. There is an interesting dichotomy to Sandler's performance. He does an outstanding job with the comedy and dramatic moments, but is shaky on the exposition. There were several strange moments where he feels more comfortable doing the drama then delivering the gag-lines. He brings a certain sincerity to the role that is worthy of praise for his efforts as a serious actor. Dennis Dugan does a fine job of getting better then average performances out of limited material. The screenplay suffers from too many writers, with the plot being pulled in several directions. Important plot points are superficial, which results from too many characters. The films important tender moments lack the impact they should, but are mildly emotional. Sandler's character supposedly experiences a catharsis. However, in the final moments it does not feel genuine. BIG DADDY is a light comedy that suffers from the comedic demands forced upon it. Sandler shows a bit more depth of character. Given a solid romantic comedy, one that he might be cast in without other ties, he might get the opportunity to show audiences his full potential. Placed in the summer release track, BIG DADDY cannot compete with the traditional blockbusters, even the animated films. BIG DADDY will probably do better on video, but is well worthy a bargain matinee.

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www.spe.sony.com/movies/bigdaddy

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