Hundreds of movies arrive in theaters every year and in that group, there are inevitably ones that seek greatness but somewhere along the line settle for mediocrity. A film’s quality can sometimes be as fragile as the camera it was filmed with and one minor flaw can otherwise ruin a pleasant film-going experience.
“That’s My Boy” is not one of those films where one mistake undermines its whole premise. Its entire being is a mistake. This crude comedy is easily an early contender for the worst movie of 2012.
Many Adam Sandler movies opt for the lowest common denominator and “Boy” is no stranger to that concept but it seems to sink even lower than most of Sandler’s work. It is a piece of complete garbage.
The plot—if one can call one hundred and fourteen minutes about a man-child conceived between a boy and his teacher a plot– is merely the setup for a series of off-putting jokes. The movie begins with Donny (Sandler) as a young student in elementary school who begins a lurid affair with one of his teachers. That affair ends with her in prison for three decades and Donny being forced to help rear their unlucky child.
Years later, Donny is a washed-up former celebrity, whose claim to fame was bedding his teacher which the movie attests is a worthy enough accomplishment to make him a household name for decades. Decades! This movie has a sense of time like a lost child has a sense of direction.
Lacking skills, intelligence and any semblance of dignity, Donny attempts to find his estranged son (played by willing accomplice Andy Sandberg) so that he can find a way to pay off his back taxes.
That’s the general plot of the movie. Although a few scenes are worth a laugh, the picture is completely undermined by the plethora of jokes that don’t work and its offensive attempts at humor.
Sure, Sandler can be funny—remember that?– and Sandberg is talented.
But this movie does neither of them any favors. What starts out as an inane comedy about descends into a cinematic atrocity. The levels of stupidity in this movie are difficult to comprehend. From tiresome jokes about two men sleeping with an elderly grandmother to gross masturbation gags to an incestuous storyline, seeing this movie is a sickening experience. Bring a barf bag.
Aside from a few moments of genuine humor, the rest of the story is complete garbage.
Many Sandler movies are critic-proof so my harsh disdain for this picture won’t likely affect its box office prospects but it’s shameful to see so many talented people work in such a terrible film.
Supporting actors like Susan Sarandon, James Caan and even someone like Vanilla Ice—who appears in the second half of the picture—deserve better than this. This movie is a ridiculous mess of talent and trash.
Back when the concept was being developed, this movie really should have been put on ice, ice, baby.
This R-rates film is chock-full of nudity, crude comedy and gross-out sequences. It is vulgar and utterly repulsive. One of the worst movies of the year, for sure.
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