Movie review: Adam Sandler needs to stop with stuff like 'That's My Boy'

Rating: 2/5 stars

As we all know, this weekend is Fathers Day, and what better treat to give your father than a pair of tickets to see Adam Sandler’s latest movie “That’s My Boy.”

Unfortunately, you might want to reconsider what to do for him this weekend because “That’s My Boy” just isn’t the right way to reward your father for raising you all those years.

This mishap of a movie begins when Donny (played by Adam Sandler), while still in his teens, has sex with his eighth grade teacher and impregnates her. After the entire school sees their secret love affair, a trial ensues in which the teacher is sentenced to 30 years in prison, thus leaving the responsibility of raising the child to poor little Donny.

Although he now has a kid, his ability to have sex with his hot eighth grade teacher thrusts him into the national spotlight of stardom similar to the child stars of the 1980s, i.e. Gary Coleman. After a montage of magazine covers and TV shows about Donny’s stardom, the story fast-forwards to the present day, where we find out that Donny, like most child stars of that era, has fallen on hard times.

To add to his misfortune, he has lost all contact with his son and needs $50,000 in order to stay out of Jail.

In an effort to come up with the money, Donny decides to visit a local TV personality and agrees to have an exposé in which Donny and his son will confront his long-lost lover, who is still serving her sentence.

Donny later finds his son Todd (Andy Samberg) about to get married and in the process of getting a high-end job promotion. As the story continues, Donny and Todd find themselves in a series of raunchy scenarios that continue throughout the rest of the movie.

The one thing I must point out about this movie is that I absolutely hated Sandler’s voice. Basically, it’s a very dumbed down version of what a New England accent “sort of” sounds like. Halfway through the movie, I honestly thought about listening to my iPod instead of hearing any more of his annoying voice.

Another thing I disliked about this movie is that sometimes it’s just plain gross. Don’t get me wrong, I am not too good for a good-ol' raunchy comedy, but at some points this movie just takes it way too far to the point that it’s disturbing rather than funny. Two scenes right off the top of my head include one showing Sandler “pleasuring himself” and another involving the act of incest.

Although this movie is awful, there are some moments that shine.

One worth noting: Samberg consistently brings his SNL-type comedy to the table, which is a nice distraction from the train wreck that is Sandler’s character. Another moment I liked was the small role played by New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who makes jokes about loving the New England Patriots.

One other thing this movie did right was casting Nick Swardson, who brings his off-the-wall humor to an all-time high playing a cracked-out redneck. James Caan also makes a hilarious performance as a boxer-turned-priest.

Other than these few moments, this movie is just about as good as “Jack & Jill” or “Just Go With It,” which means it isn’t good at all.

Maxwell Meier is a broadcast and electronic media sophomore.

Max Meier

Max is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Life & Arts Reporter and Sports Reporter.