That’s My Boy [2012]

I usually try to avoid Adam Sandler’s movies, but this one seemed like a good choice for a hangover Sunday. And the fact that the director is Sean Anders (Sex Drive) sounded reassuring. Basically, this is the same type of dumb-ass comedy as the rest of them, but with a few twists. This time the screenwriter and the director decided to push the envelope to the max with the jokes. I mean, the main plot of this movie says a lot about that. So, you can say that That’s My Boy is based on the real case of Mary Kay Letourneau.

A case that was hugely popular in the nineties although this movie is going more for the eighties vibe. I’m talking about the music, hair-styles, I mean everything. It’s like someone time-travelled from the eighties bring the the spirit of the decade with him. That is: do whatever you want if you think it will look cool. Although this is true for all decades, I think. Besides Sandler, the cast of That’s My Boy is full of hilarious actors like Andy Samberg, Will Forte, and Nick Swardson.

It is the year of our lord 1984, Metallica just released Ride The Lightning along with Van Halen’s album cleverly titled 1984 and Slayer released Show No Mercy the year before (the same year I was born, coincidence?). Donny is an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy, well, except he fucked his teacher Mary McGarricle and got her pregnant. She winds up in prison, and the kid goes to our guy Donny who names him Han Solo Berger (although a Trekkie, this is still hilarious). Fast forward to 2012 and things are pretty same for Donny. Han Solo, however, is about to tie knot and he invites his father to the wedding.

Condemned for its very casual usage of “forbidden” subjects like pedophilia, incest, gerontophilia, and statutory rape, That’s My Boy was labeled as Sandler-trash. For exactly these reasons I just loved this movie, being a sucker for the eighties (fuck, even Vanilla Ice is present) and “forbidden” subjects. The movie also deals with now-famous “I don’t want to grow up” vibe that boomers are so angry about. What is life? How would you define a good life? How about a great life? Are things really that simple as get a job, wife, kids, and then fucking die?

Granted, sometimes there is too much that “trailer sensationalism”, but still most of the movie is great. It’s a fun ride down the memory lane, with a lot of great jokes and slapstick gags. And if you want to have some friends over it’s great for drinking beer and smoking weed. However, I say that about every movie… All in all, it’s a great movie for the weekend, and if you want to continue your eighties-themed comedy session check out MacGruber starring Will Forte.

Director: Sean Anders

Writer:  David Caspe

Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, Vanilla Ice, James Caan, Milo Ventimiglia, Will Forte

Fun Facts: In the baseball scene, the bat Adam Sandler is using has the numbers 5150 on it. 5150 is the name of an album by rock band Van Halen who have three songs played during the movie. 5150 is also a California police term for a mentally disturbed person (a reference to Section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code).

Rating:

IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232200/