Review:
"That's My Boy"
Release Date: June 15, 2012
Rating: R Running Time: 114 minutes Yes, it is almost every teenage boy’s fantasy to be seduced by his hot teacher. And, yes, Adam Sandler knows that the corruption of a minor is still the corruption of a minor, but that doesn’t stop him from celebrating the inappropriate student-teacher relationship at the heart of his typically rude and crude R-rated farce, That’s My Boy. Boasting a grating Boston accent that makes you want to drown yourself in a vat of Sam Adams Summer Ale, the maddeningly loud Sandler stars as Donny Burger, who in seventh grade fathered a child with his beautiful teacher (Eva Amurri Martino). When the sexy seductress is thrown in prison, Donny is forced to raise Han Solo by himself. Of course he would name his son Han Solo. Consumed by the notoriety that comes with being a beloved tabloid sensation, Donny does such a bad job as a parent that the adult Han Solo, who’s played in feeble reactive fashion by Andy Samberg, cuts all ties and pretends his father is dead. Facing jail time for tax evasion, Donny tracks down Han Solo on the eve of his wedding so he can stage a made-for-TV family reunion for $50,000. The goofballs Sandler’s played for almost two decades have usually suffered from arrested development, so it’s no surprise that Donny bears more than a passing resemblance to the annoying manchild he played in another comedy about poor parenting, 1999’s Big Daddy. Donny’s reappearance in Han Solo’s life results in the supposedly comic mayhem we expect Sandler to cause when he’s in aging frat-boy mode. There’s oddball sexual behavior, booze- and drug-fueled partying, and brawls involving elderly gentleman that are right out of Happy Gilmore. Outside of the casting of Tony Orlando as Han Solo’s foul-mouthed boss, and the hilarious events that occur during Han Solo’s bachelor party, That’s My Boy is as lazy, predictable and clumsily executed as any Sandler offering. You can also set your watch to the obligatory appearances by former Saturday Night Live cast members (Will Forte, Ana Gasteyer, Colin Quinn) or a montage that’s accompanied by a chessy 1970s or 1980s rock classic. Granted, director Sean Anders (Sex Drive) employs an anything-goes attitude to the chaotic proceedings, but in the third act he and Sandler flippantly cross a line that even some of his most laidback fans may find morally reprehensible. If the goal is to make Donny look better in comparison to the family Han Solo’s marrying into, it works. Unfortunately, such a dark cloud hangs over the rest of the film that it’s impossible to find any humor in Donny’s last-ditch attempt to reconcile with Han Solo on his wedding day. Then again, what else is to be expected from a comedy that happily treats sexual abuse as a punchline. Robert Sims Aired: June 14, 2012 Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thatsmyboy/ |
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