the happy bastard’s 30-second review
big daddy
happy gilmore as a father ?
of course !
that’s the latest scenario presented by adam sandler in the new movie big daddy , a movie that’s passable but isn’t really considered some of sandler’s best work .
he doesn’t actually play happy gilmore in the movie , but a variation of him .
he’s sonny coufax , a man who’s living off a settlement he got for a cab running over his foot and his one-day-a-week gig as a tollbooth man ( tollbooth willie ? ) .
his girlfriend ( kristy swanson ) is fed up with his lifestyle and demands a change before she leaves him .
enter a 5-year old kid , who’s mysteriously dropped at his doorstep and intended for his preppy roommate ( jon stewart ) , who’s off in china on a business trip .
from there , coufax basically acts as the kid’s father , teaching him different things like peeing on the side of a building and tripping up skateboarders with sticks .
he even manages to use the kid in a sort of con game to get the attention of a beautiful law office worker ( joey lauren adams ) , but , somehow , he also garners the attention of social services , who aren’t particularly pleased with coufax’s actions , as he pretends to be his roommate to keep the kid .
the reason i say it’s not really sandler’s best work is because it gets really sappy towards the end of a movie , showing some odd feelings that somehow didn’t really belong in a sandler vehicle .
i mean , it fits the movie’s tone and everything , and sandler handles it well , but it’s just oddly placed , that’s all .
fortunately , it doesn’t destroy the goofy glee path it’s been following and it still makes you feel good .
sandler does a good job here , as he does in most of his movies .
rob schneider , however , is irritating as his friend , an immigrant delivery boy who can’t read .
stewart , in his minor time on screen , is great , and adams remains a joy to watch .
look for steve buscemi as well as a homeless bum .
he’s a hoot .
directed by dennis dugan ( director of happy gilmore ) , the movie remains a good couple of hours to pass the time with .
again , there are faults , but , hey , everyone needs to get emotional sometimes .