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That's My Boy (2012 film)

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That's My Boy
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySean Anders
Written byDavid Caspe
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrandon Trost
Edited byTom Costain
Music byRupert Gregson-Williams
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • June 15, 2012 (2012-06-15) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million[1]
Box office$57.7 million[1]

That's My Boy is a 2012 American satirical black comedy film directed by Sean Anders and stars Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. The film is about an alcoholic slacker named Donny Berger (Sandler) who fathered a son (Samberg) with his school teacher as a teenager. Donny owes $43,000 in back taxes and will have to serve a three-year sentence in prison if he does not pay it off by the end of the weekend, which happens to be his son's wedding weekend.

It was released on June 15, 2012 by Columbia Pictures and was a critical and financial failure, grossing just $57 million against a $70 million budget.

Plot

In 1984, Donny Berger's teacher, Mary McGarricle (Eva Amurri Martino), begins a sexual relationship with him. When this relationship is discovered, she is sentenced to a maximum penalty prison term of 30 years, where she is revealed pregnant. Custody of the unborn child is given to Donny's abusive father until Donny turns 18 to assume full custody.

In 2012, Donny (Adam Sandler) is a broke, alcoholic slacker who spends his time with his friends, bartender Brie (Ciara) and her stripper mother Champale (Luenell). Donny is now estranged from his son (Andy Samberg) who, embarrassed by his parents' scandalous past also Donny's immaturity, has changed his name to Todd Peterson to avoid discovery of his parentage. Todd, a successful businessman, has recently arrived at the Cape Cod house of his boss, where he is to marry his fiancée, Jamie Martin (Leighton Meester).

Donny learns from his lawyer, Jim Nance (Rex Ryan), that he owes $43,000 to the IRS in back-taxes and will be imprisoned for three years if he doesn't repay the money by the end of the weekend. However, Nance has him place a $20 bet on an 8000:1 contestant named Tubby Tuke in the following Monday's Boston Marathon. In spite of this, Donny realizes that he may need a back-up plan should Tubby Tuke lose. He visits TV producer Randall Morgan (Dan Patrick), who had produced shows for Donny during his brief period of celebrity, and Morgan offers him $50,000 if he can organize a reunion with Todd and Mary McGarricle (Susan Sarandon) at the women's prison.

Donny arrives at Cape Cod to try to convince Todd to participate. Todd had previously told people his parents were dead, so he introduces Donny as an old friend. Donny quickly becomes well-liked by the others, at the expense of Todd's popularity. Donny tries to convince Todd to see his mother at the women's prison, without revealing that it is for a TV show, but he refuses. Todd fights constantly with Donny about his father's immaturity. Donny admits his mistake by revealing he was young and didn't know how to be a father since his own never taught him how. Todd eventually imitates his father's behavior, including engaging in a fight with Father McNally, cancelling the church rehearsal. Before Jamie's family could blame Todd, Donny saves him by convincing his future in-laws to have the wedding rehearsal away from churches because Todd is still going through a tragedy from one that killed his parents.

Donny joins Todd and his friends at Todd's bachelor party, a relaxing day at a spa. However, Donny convinces the guys to attend a strip club where over the course of the night, Todd eventually agrees to meet his mother at the women's prison. Donny, knowing a TV crew will be there tries to stop the meeting, but Todd goes anyway. Mary, Donny and Todd are ambushed by TV crew, forcing a disgusted Todd to leave without signing a release form, leaving Donny without any money.

Donny overhears Jamie on the phone with Todd's boss, Steve Spirou, having a conversation that implies they've been sleeping together behind Todd's back. He tries to warn Todd, but Jamie comes up with a convincing cover story that fools Todd. Later, Donny discovers Jamie having sex with her brother Chad (Milo Ventimiglia) at a hotel room. Realizing that she could lose Todd if Donny tells him about her sexual affair with both Chad and Steve, she gives him a $50,000 check in order to keep him quiet.

Despite Jamie's hush money, Donny has to stop the wedding. With help from his friend from his celebrity days (Vanilla Ice), they make it to the wedding in time. Donny reveals himself to be Todd's father, rips up Jamie's check and forces her to admit her actions behind Todd's back. Todd, disgusted breaks up with Jamie and accepts Donny as his father and takes back his birth name of Han Solo Berger.

At the strip club the following day, Han reveals himself to be dating Brie and offers Donny the money to pay for his unpaid taxes. Donny turns down the offer, accepting it's time for him to take responsibility for his actions. He prepares to go to prison to rekindle his relationship with Mary after his term is over, but the bet he placed on Tubby Tuke wins him $160,000, keeping him out of prison.

Cast

Production

The film was originally titled I Hate You, Dad, and then changed to Donny's Boy before the producers finally settled on That's My Boy.[2][3] Filming began on May 2, 2011 and ended on July 15, 2011.

Release

Box office

The film opened on June 15, 2012, grossing $13,453,714 in its opening weekend, ranking #4 behind the second weekends of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Prometheus, and the opening of Rock of Ages.

The film grossed $36,931,089 domestically and $57,719,093 worldwide and failing to recoup its $70 million budget, making it a financial failure.[1] This was Sandler's fourth box office failure, with the other three being Little Nicky, Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me.[4]

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 113 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While it does represent a new foray into raunch for the normally PG-13 Sandler, That's My Boy finds him repeating himself to diminishing effect – and dragging Andy Samberg down with him."[5] On Metacritic the film has a normalized score of 31 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[6][7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A to F scale.[8]

Justin Chang of Variety called it "a shameless celebration of degenerate behavior, a work of relentless vulgarity and staggering moral idiocy."[9] Alonso Duralde gave the film a scathing review, calling it "vulgar, trite, sexist, misogynist, hacky, tacky, gross, sentimental and stupid, with occasional flourishes of racism and veiled homophobia thrown in to boot."[10] Online review show Half in the Bag called the film "pathetic" and "painful", and went on to criticize Sandler as a comic, suggesting he was unable to create humor that was not based on childish jokes.[11]

The film was criticized for making light of statutory rape, incest and child neglect.[12][13][14]

Home media

The film was released to DVD and Blu-Ray on October 16, 2012 by Sony Pictures. [15]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Houston Film Critics Society[16] Worst Film Won
33rd Golden Raspberry Awards[17] Worst Picture Nominated
Worst Actor Adam Sandler Won
Worst Supporting Actor Nick Swardson Nominated
Vanilla Ice (as himself)
Worst Director Sean Anders
Worst Screenplay written by David Caspe, uncredited rewrites by Adam Sandler, Tim Herlihy, Robert Smigel, David Wain, and Ken Marino Won
Worst Screen Couple Adam Sandler and either Leighton Meester, Andy Samberg, or Susan Sarandon Nominated
Worst Ensemble The entire cast
Teen Choice Awards[18] Choice Summer Movie: Comedy/Music Nominated
Choice Summer Movie Star: Male Adam Sandler
Choice Summer Movie Star: Female Leighton Meester

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d That's My Boy at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ Ngo, Binh (February 3, 2012). "Adam Sandler's Upcoming Comedy 'Donny's Boy' Changed to 'That's My Boy'". Movies with Butter. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  3. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (January 16, 2011). "Adam Sandler Comedy I Hate You, Dad Retitled Donny's Boy, First Image Arrives Online". Cinema Blend. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  4. ^ Rosen, Christopher (June 16, 2012). "'That's My Boy' Box Office: Adam Sandler Comedy Bombs, Tom Cruise's 'Rock Of Ages' Disappoints". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  5. ^ That's My Boy at Rotten Tomatoes
  6. ^ That's My Boy at Metacritic
  7. ^ Mary Kay Letourneau's teen lover-turned-husband: Adam Sandler's movie is about us! Dailymail.co.uk (June 22, 2012). Retrieved on August 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Box Office Analysis: 'That's My Boy' Marks Second Disappointment in a Row for Adam Sandler". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  9. ^ Chang, Justin (June 14, 2012). "Review: That's My Boy". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  10. ^ Duralde, Alonso (June 13, 2012). "'That's My Boy' Review: Not Adam Sandler's Worst, But Still Terrible". TheWrap.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  11. ^ Half in the Bag: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER and THAT'S MY BOY redlettermedia.com (July 28, 2012). Retrieved on August 26, 2012.
  12. ^ Rabin, Nathan (November 28, 2012). "Stooping To Stumble Case File #29: That's My Boy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  13. ^ Patterson, John (September 1, 2012). "Adam Sandler's That's My Boy - giving gross-out a bad name". The Guardian. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  14. ^ Ablow, Keith (May 2, 2012). "There's nothing funny about rape and Adam Sandler's new movie 'That's My Boy' | Fox News". FoxNews.com. FOX News Network, LLC. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  15. ^ "That's My Boy: Releases". AllMovie. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "2012 Houston Film Critics Nominees - Winners". Texasartfilm.com. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  17. ^ "Dawn Breaks for TWILIGHT, Sandler and Rihanna at 33rd RAZZIE® AWARDS". Razzies.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  18. ^ "Breaking Dawn leads the way at Teen Choice Awards nominations". Winnipeg Free Press. June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
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