Big Daddy (1999 film)

Plot

In New York City, Sonny Koufax is a 32-year-old slacker who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam. He works one day a week as a toll booth attendant and lives off a $200,000 settlement from a minor accident. His girlfriend Vanessa threatens to leave him unless he grows up. Sonny's roommate Kevin, a successful lawyer, proposes to his girlfriend Corinne before leaving for China.

The next morning, Sonny finds a five-year-old boy named Julian McGrath abandoned at the apartment with a note claiming Kevin is the biological father. Sonny promises to care for Julian until Kevin returns. Hoping to win Vanessa back, Sonny introduces her to Julian, but she reveals she is now dating Sid. Overwhelmed, Sonny impersonates Kevin and takes Julian to social worker Arthur Brooks, who informs him Julian's mother has died of cancer.

Unable to allow foster care, Sonny keeps Julian. He vents to his father Lenny, who believes Sonny is too irresponsible.

Sonny raises Julian his own way, and they form a strong bond. Julian helps Sonny begin a relationship with Layla, Corinne's sister. Arthur finds a potential adoptive family but becomes suspicious when Sonny avoids his calls.

Cast

Carmen De Lavallade appears as the judge during the custody hearing, and Geoffrey Horne appears as Vanessa's current boyfriend Sid. Other Adam Sandler film regulars include Edmund Lyndeck as Mr. Herlihy, Steven Brill as lawyer Ted Castellucci, Sandler's future wife Jackie Titone as a waitress, and his niece and nephew Jillian and Jared Sandler as Jillian and Jared. Dennis Dugan has an uncredited appearance as a reluctant trick-or-treat giver.

Reception

The film grossed $41.2 million on its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. At the time, it had the second-biggest opening weekend for a comedy, behind Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and the highest grossing non-sequel comedy opening ever. It also became the highest opening weekend for an Adam Sandler film, replacing The Waterboy, a record it held until Anger Management in April 2003. In its second weekend, the film dropped 36 percent to $26.4 million over the Fourth of July weekend, ranking at #2 behind Wild Wild West.

It then grossed $16.3 million in its third weekend, ranking at #3. On Rotten Tomatoes, Big Daddy has an approval rating of 39% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The critical consensus notes jarring shifts between crude humor and mawkish sentimentality. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews.

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called it Sandler's best movie, while Robert Koehler of Variety called it a step forward for Sandler. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times offered negative reviews. Director Paul Thomas Anderson is a noted fan of the film.

Did You Know?

• Principal photography took place in New York, with interior shots at Silvercup Studios from September 24 to December 21, 1998.
• Pete Davidson auditioned for a role.
• The script was originally titled Guy Gets Kid and was considered for Chris Farley, who died the year before.