1999, 1 hr 35 min., Rated PG-13 for language, crude humor. Dir: Dennis Dugan. Cast: Adam Sandler (Sonny), Cole and Dylan Sprouse (Julian), Joey Lauren Adams (Layla), Jon Stewart (Kevin), Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Leslie Mann (Corrine).

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a big fan of Adam Sandler, because sometimes it's a relief to just let go and enjoy his inane antics. Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy are guilty pleasures, but with Big Daddy I'm less than enthusiastic. Here Sandler is more grown up, sort of, but even the attempts at his old-style crazy humor didn't make me laugh. The 50 under-15 boys in the theater were having a great time, but not me. I was disturbed.

The plot involves Sonny (Sandler), a law school grad who is "doing his own thing," which involves working at a toll-booth one day a week, watching a lot of the Cartoon Network and eating cereal constantly, all because he won a lot of money a couple of years ago after a cab ran over his foot. Sonny has a girlfriend (Kristy Swanson, looking mighty fetching--nice cleavage, if I may be so bold) who once worshipped him in college at Syracuse, but now she wants a five-year plan and leaves him.

Sonny's roommate Kevin (Stewart) may have an illegitimate child, though, who is dropped off at the door while Kevin is away to China. Sonny takes a liking to 5-year-old Julian and keeps him as his son for a few months before he's told he can't keep the kid. Then finale hijinks ensue involving an amusing but no-way-would-it-ever-happen-in-real-life trial.

My main concern is related to the most important aspect of the movie: we're supposed to want Julian to end up with Sonny forever. But in absolutely no way should Sonny ever have a child with this much baggage, or even his own! I was more disturbed than amused at the things Sonny initially teaches the kid, such as throwing sticks on the ground to make rollerbladers fall or letting Julian "do his own thing"--a very bad idea for parents because what kids want to do is normally not good for his/her well-being or society's. Julian pees wherever he wants, consumes 30 packets of ketchup for lunch and wears a salad bowl and a cape out in public. And what is the deal with the language? There was a much cursing as a PG-13 rating will allow and then some. Having the kid repeat these words was not endearing, either, just another mark on my "This is disturbing" chalkboard.

There are also two, three, four too many references to Hooters restaurants. But I'll let it pass because I enjoy visiting the place once in a while. For the wings of course.

The ending is typical happy-go-lucky and I was happy with the way it was resolved, but the previous hour-and-a-half I laughed infrequently and groaned a few times, thinking "Can anyone be this stupid who graduated from law school?" Heck, if they graduated from refrigerator repair school they would know better! I'd enjoy hearing Dr. Laura rip apart Sonny on the air, and continue to wonder, "Why does someone call Dr. Laura when they know she's going to go off on a tangent about their stupid behavior?" The supporting cast was the best part of the film, and provided a boost in acting and humor quality. Sonny still considers his lawyer friends from college to be his closest buddies, but two of them became gay lovers, which sets up some funny moments, as both are now almost flaming, as in Big Gay Al of "South Park."

The small parts of Rob Schneider and Steve Buscemi are ample in what they bring, with Schneider as the Indian delivery man who is one of Sonny's best friends, and Buscemi as a homeless man who will do anything for McDonald's food. Jon Stewart's role is pretty small, so don't expect much.

The best supporting player, hands-down, was Joey Lauren Adams as Sandler's love interest, Layla. She brings a sweetness to the film that takes us away from focusing on the kid all the time. With that, the scenes in which I most enjoyed Big Daddy were Sandler's courtship of Adams, such as when Sonny re-washes his clothes just to be around her, and the two make up a bedtime story for Julian that turns into a story about their relationship. The best line of the movie: "Initiating the conversation is half the battle," in regards to meeting women (Sonny uses Julian to pick up Layla).

The kid didn't have me caring for him, mainly because it's a story about Sandler, with an annoying kid thrown in for some comedy. The parts that should have been touching didn't affect me at all. Why? Because I'm not one for "cute kid" storylines, and Big Daddy didn't change my mind.