History Film / BigDaddy

** Jon Stewart. Kevin Garrity is conspicuously missing for most of the film (being on a business trip in China). And unlike Swanson, Stewart didn't even make it into the trailer, as described above. Yet the whole plot hinges on Sonny impersonating Kevin, and he's the one who [[spoiler: saves Sonny from jail time at the climax]].

* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: Jon Stewart. Even though he's the one who indirectly sets the entire plot in motion, [[spoiler: as well as the one who resolves it in the end]].

--> "Big Daddy" is a film about a seriously disturbed slacker who adopts a 5-year-old and tutors him in cynicism, cruel practical jokes and antisocial behavior." -'''Creator/RogerEbert'''

-> "Big Daddy" is a film about a seriously disturbed slacker who adopts a 5-year-old and tutors him in cynicism, cruel practical jokes and antisocial behavior." -'''Creator/RogerEbert'''

-> "Big Daddy" is a film about a seriously disturbed slacker who adopts a 5-year-old and tutors him in cynicism, cruel practical jokes and antisocial behavior." -'''Roger Ebert'''


[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] that character in ''CatOnAHotTinRoof''. Or with rapper Big Daddy Kane. Or with [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment's]] Big Daddy V - or, for that matter, with their [[Wrestling/KevinNash "Big Daddy Cool."]] Or with those tough drill-arm enemies from ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''. Or with that huge, 1,000-calorie burger offered by Southern California restaurant chain Cronies.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] that character in ''CatOnAHotTinRoof''. Or with rapper Big Daddy Kane. Or with [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment's]] Big Daddy V - or, for that matter, with their [[KevinNash "Big Daddy Cool."]] Or with those tough drill-arm enemies from ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''. Or with that huge, 1,000-calorie burger offered by Southern California restaurant chain Cronies.

This 1999 box-office smash starred Creator/AdamSandler, [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]], and twin child actors [[TheSuiteLifeofZackAndCody Cole and Dylan Sprouse]]. It tells the story of thirtysomething Manhattan resident Sonny Koufax (Sandler), a Syracuse law graduate who has no plan whatsoever of taking his bar exam. Instead, he lives off a fat settlement from getting his foot run over years ago and works as a toll-booth collector one day per week, spending the rest of his days sleeping and watching cartoons at the apartment he rents with fellow Syracuse alum Kevin Gerrity (Stewart).

** Also, when Sonny shows up at the party for Kevin near the beginning of the film, all the other guests mistake him for Kevin and shout "Surprise!" at him (and are therefore much less enthused when the ''real'' Kevin arrives a minute later, causing Corinne to complain: "We wasted the good surprise on ''you''! and run into the bathroom to cry). After watching the film a few times, you start to realize that Sonny and Kevin ''do'' look a great deal alike except for their hairstyles and Sonny's slightly darker complexion, and this becomes FridgeBrilliance when you connect it to Sonny's scheme later in the film to impersonate Kevin in order to gain custody of Julian (and, indeed, the physical similarity just might have been the reason why Sonny thought the ruse would work in the first place).

* AuthorAppeal: Sandler, who co-wrote and co-produced this film in addition to starring in it, includes references to some of his favorite things (such as ProWrestling, fast food, and the rock band Styx).

* HollywoodPudgy: Sonny is described both by Corinne and by himself as "fat." We never see Sonny without his clothes on, and he's not likely to be in very good shape due to his sedentary lifestyle, but to call him "fat" is an exaggeration.

-> "Big Daddy" is a film about a seriously disturbed slacker who adopts a 5-year-old and tutors him in cynicism, cruel practical jokes and antisocial behavior." '''Roger Ebert'''

* ThisLoserIsYou: It's really the only way one can imagine the makers of this film thinking that audiences could accept Sonny as a genuine protagonist.
* TotallyRadical: The judge (a visibly middle-aged woman) says "Awesome!" at the trial.

This 1999 box-office smash starred Creator/AdamSandler, [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]], and twin child actors Cole and Dylan Sprouse. It tells the story of thirtysomething Manhattan resident Sonny Koufax (Sandler), a Syracuse law graduate who has no plan whatsoever of taking his bar exam. Instead, he lives off a fat settlement from getting his foot run over years ago and works as a toll-booth collector one day per week, spending the rest of his days sleeping and watching cartoons at the apartment he rents with fellow Syracuse alum Kevin Gerrity (Stewart).

This 1999 box-office smash starred AdamSandler, [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]], and twin child actors Cole and Dylan Sprouse. It tells the story of thirtysomething Manhattan resident Sonny Koufax (Sandler), a Syracuse law graduate who has no plan whatsoever of taking his bar exam. Instead, he lives off a fat settlement from getting his foot run over years ago and works as a toll-booth collector one day per week, spending the rest of his days sleeping and watching cartoons at the apartment he rents with fellow Syracuse alum Kevin Gerrity (Stewart).

* TechnicallyASmile: The closest Vanessa comes to smiling in any of her three scenes in the movie is a tight, clenched-toothed, nervous grin when Sonny and Julian visit her apartment (little suspecting that Vanessa's new boyfriend, Sid, is in the bathroom at that very moment). It's...[[{{Understatement}} not very heartwarming]].

* DefrostingIceQueen: Corinne, at least as far as Sonny is concerned. Vanessa also looks like she might become this at one point, but it doesn't happen.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: You could say that Sid was the "rat in the putting hole."

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] that character in ''CatOnAHotTinRoof''. Or with rapper Big Daddy Kane. Or with [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment's]] Big Daddy V - or, for that matter, with their [[KevinNash "Big Daddy Cool."]] Or with those tough drill-arm enemies from ''BioShock''. Or with that huge, 1,000-calorie burger offered by Southern California restaurant chain Cronies.

* KidsPreferBoxes: In the ''{{Cracked}}'' parody ''Big Duddy'', "Sony" finds the kid left in a cardboard box at his back door. He promptly dumps the kid out and takes the now-empty box inside to "spend some quality time" with it.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] that character in ''CatOnAHotTinRoof''. Or with rapper Big Daddy Kane. Or with [[{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment's]] Big Daddy V - or, for that matter, with their [[KevinNash "Big Daddy Cool."]] Or with those tough drill-arm enemies from ''{{BioShock}}''. Or with that huge, 1,000-calorie burger offered by Southern California restaurant chain Cronies.

--->'''Nazo:''' Maybe you like spaghetti and meatball? You more comfortable with that analogy?

** Kevin's fiancee (and later wife) Corinne also has a foil - Vanessa, Sonny's would-be wife. Corinne eventually quits her job as a Hooter's waitress and becomes a doctor, while Vanessa goes almost exactly in reverse. Corinne also has [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a loving personality beneath her mean exterior]], while Vanessa tries to [[BitchInSheepsClothing hide her icy heart beneath a (somewhat) pleasant exterior]].

* HypocriticalHumor: Plenty.

* IrishmanAndAJew: Kevin Gerrity and Sonny Koufax. The stereotypes are actually inverted in that Kevin is the serious one and Sonny is the more outgoing and rambunctious. (And ironically, the actor who plays Kevin is himself Jewish.)

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: So many...
** Sonny
** Corinne

* OhCrap:

* RealityEnsues: Subverted, double-subverted, then ''triple''-subverted. [[spoiler: Sonny calls himself to the witness stand at the trial and has his father cross-examine him in the hope that he can somehow win the court over with an emotional appeal. Miraculously, he does persuade Lenny that he has learned his lesson and is now prepared to be a responsible adult. Lenny vouches for his son and everyone in the courtroom applauds - but the judge will not let herself forget that Sonny broke the law and, no matter how contrite he may now be, still deserves to go to jail. But Kevin Gerrity, as Julian's biological father, refuses to press charges against his roommate, so Sonny walks out of court a free man. However, since he has proven himself to be erratic and untrustworthy, Sonny is refused custody of Julian, who is reunited with Kevin. But in the end Sonny does get a consolation prize in form of being appointed a mentor and uncle to Julian, and he and Layla have had a baby of their own by the time the epilogue rolls around.]]