By now a well-recognized brand unto themselves, Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison production company represent a firmly entrenched comedy formula that can claim a global fan base prepared to follow wherever the laughs may lead. With enough wedding-related shenanigans to pull in the date crowd, the guffaw-to-gag ratio remains relatively respectable, though theres nothing here that hasnt been attempted many times over. Resistance is futile, however, and will hardly prevent the middling Thats My Boy from opening to brisk business, most likely in the midrange of recent Sandler releases.
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Donny Berger (Sandler) is a burned-out former reality TV star with no job and practically no family, at least none that who stand by him. Now well into his 40s, hes infamous for having slept with his eighth-grade teacher (currently serving a 30-year sentence in the Massachusetts penal system), fathering a son with her while still a teen and leveraging his notoriety to launch a lucrative TV show and series of celebrity endorsements. But hes pissed it all away and dodged paying taxes in the process -- now he has a $43,000 IRS bill that will land him in jail if he cant quickly raise the cash to pay it off.
He also has neglected his son Todd (Andy Samberg), who moved away as soon as he turned 18 and hasnt spoken with his epically incompetent dad ever since. Despite his traumatic childhood and a bucketful of neuroses, Todd -- whose birth name is Han Solo Berger -- is now a wealthy and successful hedge fund manager whos about to marry the woman of his dreams. The last thing he expects is for his estranged father to show up, which Donny does in classic wedding-crasher style after devising an unsavory scheme to settle his tax debt.
Mortified and about to see the lie hes told everyone about his deceased parents exposed, Todd introduces Dad to fiance Jamie (Leighton Meester) and her family as his best friend. Improbably, Donny utterly charms the other wedding guests and is soon getting along with everyone except his son, even after people recognize him as the notorious TV personality with an insatiable addiction to cheap beer.
Donnys determined to see his son through an increasingly bumpy wedding weekend, however, as Todd is confronted by the hostility of Jamies Marine brother Chad (Milo Ventimiglia), a pugnacious priest (James Caan) and a series of mishaps leading up to some serious father-son bonding over Todds calamitous bachelor-party night out. Todds quandary over forgiving Donnys past and current transgressions begins to pale in comparison to his mounting marriage woes, leaving the groom with the unenviable choice between a parent hes tried to avoid and a bride he soon might want to escape.
This being an Adam Sandler comedy, crude humor predominates at the expense of inherently unique situations or characters, with a by-now familiar strain of sentimentality emerging in later reels. Director Sean Anders and screenwriter David Caspe follow the game plan adequately enough, but the movie is overburdened with incidents that prove only mildly amusing. Anders background as an R-rated comedy writer could have served him better with shepherding the disparate cast and animating the pacing, but instead the outcome is a bloated runtime that nearly tips two hours.
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In full-on man-child mode, Sandler plays a stereotypical Northeastern white-trash character recognizable from his exaggerated regional accent, nonstop substance abuse, profanity-dominated speech and fixation on sex. Its nothing new for Sandler, who inhabits Donnys low-life personality like an alter ego, alternately mugging and emoting with predictable charm.
Every buddy movie needs a straight man, but Samberg is rather more rigid than the role requires, rarely modulating his performance enough to generate genuine hilarity. Samberg and Sandlers shared Saturday Night Live DNA barely registers, and their interactions lack much of the zaniness of the TV series. Meester remains relegated to a largely functional role thats essential but hardly inspired. Deft casting that includes supporting actors Tony Orlando as Todds slimy boss, Vanilla Ice as Donnys best bud and a sexy Susan Sarandon in a brief cameo as Donnys incarcerated teacher helps to enliven the overall mood.
Serviceable lensing by DP Brandon Trost is marred by some inexpertly executed special effects, but a soundtrack dominated by hairband rockers including Van Halen, Kiss, Foreigner and Def Leppard provides plenty of tuneful distraction throughout.
Thats My Boy delivers the outrageous situations, nonstop raunchiness and juvenile humor that Sandler fans typically seek -- for those who are actually still in the market for this particular brand of comedy.
Opens: June 15 (Columbia Pictures)
Production company: Happy Madison Productions
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, Vanilla Ice, Tony Orlando, Will Forte, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Sarandon, James Caan
Director: Sean Anders
Screenwriter: David Caspe
Producers: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Heather Parry, Allen Covert
Executive producers: Barry Bernardi, John Morris, Dennis Dugan, Tim Herlihy
Director of photography: Brandon Trost
Production designer: Aaron Osborne
Costume designer: Ellen Lutter
Editor: Tom Costain
Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Rated R, 116 minutes
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