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Big Daddy (1999 film)

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Big Daddy
A boy and a man with their backs turned, peeing in a large doorway
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDennis Dugan
Screenplay by
Story bySteve Franks
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTheo van de Sande
Edited byJeff Gourson
Music byTeddy Castellucci
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • June 25, 1999 (1999-06-25)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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]

Plot

[edit]

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.

Cast

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  • Adam Sandler as Sonny Koufax, an unmotivated slacker and law school graduate who becomes Julian's guardian.
  • Joey Lauren Adams as Layla Maloney, a lawyer, Corinne's sister, and Sonny's new girlfriend.
  • Jon Stewart as Kevin Gerrity, a lawyer who is Sonny's roommate.
  • Allen Covert as Phil D'Amato, a lawyer friend of Sonny's
  • Rob Schneider as Nazo, a foreign delivery guy for Cozy Soup 'n' Burger known for his very bad deliveries who is one of Sonny's friends.[b]
  • Josh Mostel as Arthur Brooks, Julian's social worker.
  • Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Julian McGrath, the biological son of Kevin.
  • Leslie Mann as Corinne Maloney, a podiatrist and Kevin's fiancé.
  • Jonathan Loughran as Mike, a friend of Sonny's.
  • Peter Dante as Tommy Grayton, a lawyer friend of Sonny's and Phil's boyfriend.
  • Kristy Swanson as Vanessa, Sonny's ex-girlfriend.
  • Joseph Bologna as Lenny Koufax, Sonny's father who is a lawyer currently living in Florida.
  • Steve Buscemi as a homeless guy who keeps encountering Sonny and who has a father in the military.

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.

Production

[edit]

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]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

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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]

Accolades

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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

Soundtrack

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
dowsepositive[15]
EWB-[16]

The film won a BMI Film Music Award.[17] 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
Songs from the theatrical trailer not in the film

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Despite the name on her bench stating "M. Healy", she is just credited as "Judge".
  2. ^ Cozy Soup 'n' Burger is a real restaurant near Washington Square Park in New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood. It is thanked in the closing credits for having "the Best BLT (and sense of humor) in New York".

References

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  1. ^ a b "Big Daddy (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  2. ^ "Adam Sandler Movie Box Office Results". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  3. ^ a b "1999 RAZZIE Nominees & "Winners"". Golden Raspberry Foundation. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012.
  4. ^ "Pete Davidson Says He Auditioned for 'Big Daddy' in 1999". 6 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Adam Sandler's Go-To Writer Says Their Movies Are One Big Accident". 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  6. ^ "Big Daddy Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  7. ^ "Big Daddy reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  8. ^ BIG DADDY (1999) Archived 2018-02-06 at the Wayback Machine CinemaScore
  9. ^ Rabin, Nathan (June 25, 1999). "Big Daddy". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Koehler, Robert (June 18, 1999). "Big Daddy". Variety. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Turan, Kenneth (June 25, 1999). "Big Daddy: Father Knows Best?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 27, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 25, 1999). "Big Daddy movie review & film summary (1999)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  13. ^ Evangelista, Chris (2018-01-01). "Paul Thomas Anderson Loves 'Big Daddy', And More Facts We Learned From A New Interview". /Film. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  14. ^ "Big Daddy - Original Soundtrack - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  15. ^ "big daddy - soundtrack review". www.dowse.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  16. ^ "Big Daddy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  17. ^ "BMI Honors Top Film and TV Composers". 15 May 2000. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  18. ^ "sweet child". MTV. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
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