Adam Sandler has Hooters on the brain.
Not that I can blame him. It's a fine dining establishment -- fun for the whole family.
The various merits of Hooters are at the core of the latest Adam Sandler yuck-fest, Big Daddy.
Well, not really, but it sure seems like it.
Here's the story. Adam adopts a really cute little boy in order to impress his girlfriend, who then dumps him. Adam is stuck with the kid. There ya go.
Along the way, he talks a lot about Hooters.
What really intrigued me about this film was the way Sandler was able to use the little tyke to pick up chicks. Now I've always thought of five year-old brats as annoying monsters who will stop at nothing to give an adult a nervous breakdown. Lord knows that's what I was all about at five. But Sandler seems to have tapped into some weird kid-vibe and picked up the fact that chicks can't resist cute kids.
Who knew?
Not to say that a child is a better babe magnet than, say, a puppy. Far from it. But there seems to be a definite attraction between chicks and children. An attraction that I just don't get. Is it the size? Heck, I love midgets as much as the next Critic, but they're grown up. Adults. Kids are midgets who pee the bed. Who needs that?
And you really shouldn't take a kid to Hooters, but midgets are welcome, no question. Another plus. I just don't get it.
Anyway.
Is Big Daddy funny? Sometimes. I snickered here and there, guffawed a couple of times, jiggled with glee at other times. I also sat bored part of the time. I was a little grossed out a couple of times. But I loved every reference to Hooters. Can't get enough of them, I always say.
Sandler does a weird thing in this movie. He tries to act. Shows emotion a couple of times. Does it work? Well, he's better than Shaq, but not quite DeNiro.
Other folk do a fine job in the film as well. I'd really love to tell you how awesome Jon Stewart is, but he's barely in the film. We need to start seeing more of him. In general. A lot of other people have cute bit parts, Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, but basically, this film is between Adam and the kid (or kids, the little boy is played by twins).
It's really a series of vignettes called "Adam and the Kid."
Adam and the Kid go to McDonalds.
Adam and the Kid take a bath.
Adam and the Kid learn the choke-hold.
Adam and the Kid play with the roller-bladers.
It goes on.
In the end, the film is mildly amusing, but not worth your time unless you're a Sandler fan. It's more entertaining than The Waterboy, but then, so is The Weather Channel.
I'm giving Big Daddy 2 4/5 Babylons. Others will disagree with me, but I'm the Critic, so they're wrong.
When I got to the office this morning, the SMC had emailed me his review for me to edit. He wrote "I love you" at the top of the email. Someone please recommend the name of a good therapist. For me.
Big Daddy
Rated: PG-13
Directed By: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Rob Schneider,
Steve Buscemi, the cutest darned tykes since the kid from Jerry Maguire,
and Hooters.