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Dom Robinson reviews
Columbia TriStar
- Cert:
- Cat.no: CDR 29080
- Running time: 89 minutes
- Year: 1999
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 28 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English, German
- Subtitles: 15 languages available
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Featurette, Music Videos, Filmographies
Director:
- Dennis Dugan
(Big Daddy, Brain Donors, Happy Gilmore, Problem Child, TV: Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, NYPD Blue)
Producers:
- Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo
Screenplay:
- Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler
Music:
- Teddy Castellucci
Cast:
- Sonny Koufax: Adam Sandler
Layla Maloney: Joey Lauren Adams
Kevin Gerrity: Jon Stewart
Vanessa: Kristy Swanson
Julian: Cole & Dylan Sprouse
Delivery Guy: Rob Schneider
Big Daddyis what Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler becomes after he inadvertently landed withthe surprise son of his brother Kevin (Jon Stewart). At first he wants rid ofthe kid, Julian (played by both Cole & Dylan Sprouse) to the hands of SocialServices, but, as you’d expect, he grows accustomed to him and tries to use him to winover the hearts of the ladies including the two-timing Vanessa (Kristy Swanson)and his new beau Layla (Joey Lauren Adams, who sounds like she’s stolen the voiceof Lisa Simpson and has a face that looks like an explosion in a plastic surgery factory).
There’s no surprises here. You know that Sonny will end up adopting the kid full-time,despite managing to run a large, makeshift apartment on a job in which he works justone day a week and he’s so hard-up of friends, his best mate is the delivery guy(Rob Schneider).
It also features a cameo from Steve Buscemi as a street bum and a number oflittle funny moments such as using a “Live Nudes” neon-sign as a nightlightand a habit of always using newspaper to ‘clean up’ liquid accidents, plus atrick-or-treat sketch featuring the director as a man who clearly can’t stand kids knockingon his door year after year. It’s a funny scene at first, although in reality, Sonnywould be arrested for breaking and entering, extortion and harrassment.
The picture is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, which is mostly excellent,crisp and clear with strong colours, although there are a few scenes with a little haziness,although that’s not easily detectable from the usual viewing distance. The average bitrate is4.90Mb/s, occasionally peaking above 7Mb/s.
The sound is fine as and when needed. There’s nothing particularly there to tax the speakerstoo much, with just a few songs from Garbage, Big Audio Dynamite and a rather pointlessremake of “Sweet Child O’Mine” from Sheryl Crow, when the Guns N Rosesoriginal is also included.
Extras : Chapters :The usual 28 from Columbia – just the right amount for an 89-minute film. Languages/Subtitles :Dolby Digital 5.1 in English and German. Subtitles in 15 languages :English, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic, Hindi, Hebrew, Dutch,German, Turkish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Greek and Norwegian. And there’s more… :Trailers, versions American and International for the film, a six-minuteFeaturette that doesn’t extend beyond the usual chat from cast and crew mixedin with film clips, Filmographies for a few members of the cast including theSprouse twins and the director and Music Videos for the aforementions Ms. Crowand Garbage. Menu :The main menu is static, but features Sonny and the kid simultaneously peeing against adoor.
Overall, this wasn’t the execrable piece of nonsense I was expecting from the Sandlercamp, but it was also not an Oscar-worthy movie. It was a bit of a laugh that passed90 minutes and shouldn’t be treated as anything else. If you’re a massive Adam Sandlerfan this may be worth a purchase – and it contains all the extras of the Region 1 DVDas well as a 4:3 open-matte version for those made enough to hate widescreen – but it’snot a film I’ll be rushing to watch again.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.