Big Daddy, Adam Sandler's film, is an unreal one that is candy-coated with humour lifted from Billy Madison while possessing a romance theme common to his other smash hits, The Wedding Singer. Technical faultiness is further amplifying the overall lack of reality, and one supporting role is saved by universally poor acting.
A graduate of law school, Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler) is throwing away his life. Sonny goes nowhere in life, considering his law school mates' relative success, and seems to be procrastinating all to the nth degree. Admittedly, in ten years he wasn't up before 11 AM and allegedly filed for social security at age 30.
In Sonny's life, girlfriend Vanessa (Kristy Swanson) and roommate Kevin were the only reliable constants (Jon Stuart). Sonny becomes desperate to bring peace back to his pathetic life, and Vanessa tells Sonny that she is unhappy with the relationship. So when the chance knocks at his door, as part of a grander scheme to win Vanessa over, he becomes a temporary parent to five-year-old Julian (Cole and Dylan Sprouse).
This film is a collaboration between The Wedding Singer's romance and Billy Madison's comedy, both of which were financial successes for Sandler. The Wedding Singer comparisons can not be overlooked when Sonny learns that Vanessa is out of the picture for good and begins pursuing Layla (Joey Lauren Adams). The parallels to Billy Madison are ever more evident. Both are films based on an adult played by Adam Sandler, who has not entirely achieved his life potential. Also, both feature multiple scenes at a school. But the many big-boy-urinating-with-little-kid-in-awkward-place jokes that are prominent in both productions are the most noticeable. Coincidentally, both movies also feature a cameo from Steve Buscemi, a longtime Sandler acquaintance.
For the most part, terrible acting further degrades the trustworthiness of Big Daddy. The consequence is a lame Sandler who never bursts completely into his uproarious vocal comedy because at the same time he is desperately pretending to be a sweetheart in love. This is best emphasized in a scene where, at the same time, he hears about and meets Vanessa's new boyfriend. Sandler launches into a series of age-based jokes, soon remembering he's an older man.
One good asset of Big Daddy is Joey Lauren Adams' acting. She delivers a reliable, funny, and romantic performance as the second love in Sonny's life, despite a harsh sounding accent. She even manages to steer clear of, and stand out on her own. This is best exhibited in a scene in a public laundry facility pitting both of them. Sandler chokes on the deadly mixture of humour and romance described above, although she sticks solely to the latter attribute and makes the scene valuable in doing so.
Many tiny details continue to detract from the fact that the movie seeks to possess throughout its 95-minute life span. The screen is black as Big Daddy opens. Then, unrealistic, impossible to believe, poorly acted, and technically inferior scenes run across the screen for the next hour and a half.