That's My Boy

Adam Sandler has been in a downward spiral with multiple Razzie nominations for practically every film he’s recently released. People still flock to see them, though. Perhaps they’re hoping for another Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore. Perhaps they just want to see how low Sandler will go. Either way, there’s profit to be made. His latest film, That’s My Boy, pairs Sandler with SNL veteran Andy Samberg as an unlikely father-son duo. Is this the turnaround Sandler is looking for or just another nomination for the Razzies?

As a young boy, Donny Berger (Sandler) engaged in a relationship with his high school teacher that left him with one son and her with 30 years in prison. Flash forward more than 30 years and the boy who was born Han Solo Berger has changed his name to Todd Peterson and is a successful business man who is about to get married. In need of some cash to stay out of jail because of the IRS, Donny shows up the day before the big wedding for some father and son bonding time.

That’s My Boy is pretty much like the rest of Sandler’s films. It’s heavy on the raunchy language and sex jokes and little else. Sandler, for whatever reason, attempts to sound as unintelligent as possible with his stereotypical character accent and trailer trash demeanor. Frankly, it’s not even necessary. When he does manage to get some laughs, it’s usually at the effort of somebody else.

The best aspect of the film is the various cameos and supporting actors. Andy Samberg has a few laughs with his underwear rubbing and father hating antics. Meanwhile, Milo Ventimiglia steals the show as Chad, the fiancé’s chiseled testosterone-fueled Marine solider. Throw in some well-placed cameos by Vanilla Ice and Todd Bridges, and you have something that’s actually watchable.

There are some genuinely funny moments, whether it’s Donny pulling a beer out from some of the most random places or Chad having an impromptu wrestling match with Todd. Unfortunately, they don’t completely overshadow that fact that the film relies so heavily on stereotypical jokes. Do we really need to see Adam Sandler jerking it to a photo of an old lady in a swimming suit? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s My Boy may be better than anything Sandler’s released in recent years, but honestly, that’s not saying much.

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