We all want a father who lets us get away with murder (or at least have ice cream and candy, instead of our vegetables.) Such is the case of Todd (Andy Samberg) whose father, Donny (Adam Sandler) raised him as a single parent until Todd’s 18th birthday (just around the time Todd was able to runaway and pretend his parents never existed.) That’s because his parents were one of those high-profile news stories about an inappropriate romance between a student and his teacher. His mother, ends up in prison.
But when young Todd grows up and becomes a sort of Mark Zuckerberg meets Bill Gates, his father (Sandler) shows up unannounced just before Todd’s big wedding day turning the film into Meet the Parents with a bit of Father of the Bride.
Sandler’s silly movies always have a message, and this one is no different though focuses on the fact we should love our family – whether its our obnoxious uncle or annoying aunt, family is family and we need to love them for who they are. And we never know when they might just come in handy.
That said, for this film, Sandler takes a turn from his usual family fare message, and adds in a lot of raunchy, ridiculous very crass and actually comes out to the other side with fantastic! James Caan portrays a Mafioso type Priest, Tony Orlando, plays Todd’s boss, but it’s Vanilla Ice as himself portraying Sandler’s best friend stuck in “ice ice baby” mode who steals the film, as it moves into The Hangover territory. Sandler’s generic Boston boy (equipped with Baws-ton accent) mirrors a generic Mark or Donnie Wahlberg from New Kids on the Block.
And finally when this Jerry Springer reality show of a film heads to a women’s state penitentory its Susan Sarandon who adds even more entertainment. Embrace this story for what it is – grotesque, nasty, and unpredicatable. You’ll need a seatbelt for two entertaining hours and then you’ll need to give it FOUR TIARAS