That's My Boy (2012 film)

That's My Boy

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sean Anders
Produced by Adam Sandler
Allen Covert
Jack Giarraputo
Written by David Caspe
Starring Adam Sandler
Andy Samberg
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography Brandon Trost
Edited by Tom Costain
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • June 15, 2012 (2012-06-15)
Running time
 114 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $70 million
Box office $57.3 million

That's My Boy is a 2012 American 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. Donny owes $43,000 in back taxes to the IRS 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 $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 where she is revealed pregnant. The unborn child is given custody 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 separated from his son (Andy Samberg) who, embarrassed by Donny's immaturity, has changed his name to Todd Peterson. 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 introduced 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 replies by saying he was young and didn't know how to be a father. Todd eventually imitates his father's behavior, including engaging in a fight with Father McNally, cancelling the church rehearsal.

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 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 to be dating Brie and offers Donny the money to pay for his unpaid taxes. However, Donny refuses, stating it's time for him to take responsibility for his actions. He prepares to go to prison and rekindle his relationship with Mary after his term, as the bet he placed on Tubby Tuke won 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.[1][2] Filming began on May 2, 2011 and ended on July 15, 2011.

Release

Rating

The film was rated R for "crude sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language and some drug use". It was his seventh movie to be given that rating with the other six being Going Overboard (his film debut), Shakes the Clown, Bulletproof, Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me and Funny People.

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.[3] 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

That's My Boy was panned by critics and has a "rotten" score of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 113 reviews with an average rating of 3.4 out of 10. The critical consensus states: "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] The film also has a score of 31 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[6][7]

Controversy

The film was criticized for making light of statutory rape, incest and child neglect. Online review show Half in the Bag called the film "pathetic" and "painful", and went on to criticize Sandler as a comic, including his inability to create real humor that isn't based on childish jokes.[8] Bob Fishbach from the Omaha World Herald gave the film one out of four stars, saying that it was "worse than Sandler's previous stinker, Jack and Jill." Richard Roeper gave the film an "F" rating, calling it "an ugly, tasteless, deadly and mean-spirited piece of filmmaking", while 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."[9]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Houston Film Critics Society[10] Worst Film Won
33rd Golden Raspberry Awards[11] 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 of That's My Boy
Teen Choice Awards[12] Choice Summer Movie: Comedy/Music Nominated
Choice Summer Movie Star: Male Adam Sandler
Choice Summer Movie Star: Female Leighton Meester

Home media

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released That's My Boy on DVD and Blu-ray on October 16, 2012.

References

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