Film Review: Adam Sandler Pulls Our Chains in ‘That’s My Boy’

CHICAGO – Adam Sandler is just freaking with us now. His goal is obviously to create the raunchiest, sociopathic and off-putting comedies of all time, and “That’s My Boy” belongs in his Hall of Fame. The A-list cast helps out, including Andy Sandberg, James Caan, Susan Sarandon and Leighton Meester.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

The first and most obvious problem is that there are long stretches in the film that have no laughs, but at least it has some laughs, unlike Sandler’s recent “Jack and Jill.” Screenwriter Dave Caspe, who also pens the decent TV sitcom “Happy Endings,” projects some unseemly obsessions through the Sandler character, especially in the sexual realm. It’s an oddball film for sure, paced unevenly by director Sean Anders (screenwriter of the much better raunch comedy, “She’s Out of My League”), and somewhat awkward in its execution. But I predict this film might eventually wear out the DVRs of 15 year-old boys throughout this great nation, as Sandler is their movie patron saint.

Adam Sandler is Donny, who we first meet in 1984 as a 13 year old (Justin Weaver). He’s a middle school playa, and has a hot-for-teacher moment with a Miss McGarricle (the appropriately fetching Eva Amurri Martino, the real-life daughter of Susan Sarandon, who then portrays present-day Miss McGarricle). She sentences Donny to detention, not to punish him, but to reward him with her charms. The affair gets hot and heavy, which results in the teacher’s pregnancy and arrest. This causes some backlash fame for Donny, including a made-for-TV movie.

Fast forward to the present day, Donny is now a has-been who owes the government 50 grand. His son Han Solo (Andy Samberg), renamed Todd, is getting married and the old man finds out where the ceremony is. In a typical slob-out-of-water moment, Donny raids the festivities to assert his presence in his son’s life. This distresses Todd’s fiancee Jamie (Leighton Meester), her Marine Corp brother Chad (Milo Ventimiglia) and the family priest Father McNally (James Caan), who takes it out with his fists on Todd. Donny is shown to be physically equipped to make a baby, but he’s not morally equipped to be a father.

“That’s My Boy” opens everywhere June 15th. Featuring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, James Caan, Vanilla Ice, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri Martino and Tony Orlando. Screenplay by Dave Caspe. Directed by Sean Anders. Rated “R”