That's My Boy

As the movie started to the strains of Def Leppard's Rock of Ages, I secretly was hoping this was intentional. I had this image of Adam Sandler discovering That's My Boy would open against that musical this week and gleefully telling the production team he had a great idea. Lucky for those watching the movie, it wasn't his only good idea. It's true. Sandler has found more than a modicum of redemption after the debacle of a tragedy we know as Jack and Jill.

Sandler stars as Donny - a screwed up guy who rose to fame and modest fortune as a young teen when he was seduced by his sexy math teacher, Miss McGarricle (Eva "I always thought she was pretty, but WOW in this movie" Amurri). They were caught, she was sent to prison, and he got custody of the lovechild.

Years later, the kid, Todd (Andy Samberg), ran out on Donny and started a new life, including his fiancée, Jamie (Leighton Meester), and the fast track to becoming a partner at an investment firm. However, Donny is broke, owes over $40,000 in taxes, and will be sent to jail if he doesn't pay within days. His only hope? A big reunion with Todd and Miss McGarricle on the weekend of Todd's wedding.

Can Donny make the reunion happen?

Will this screw up everything in Todd's life?

That's My Boy is the funniest movie Sandler has made since 50 First Dates. It's like the best of Sandler has meshed with the best of the Farrelly Brothers to produce a movie that is hilarious, pushing boundaries and sometimes crossing them with mixed results, but delivering many more laughs than groans.

Wisely, Sandler has made some substitutions on his creative team and forged a working relationship with director Sean Anders and writer David Caspe that has reinvigorated him. Sure, some of the old Sandler stand-by gags and funny voices are still present, but Caspe (one of the brains behind TV's Happy Endings, which is equally entertaining) and Anders have given Sandler and the cast enough material to work with, instead of forcing the funny man to create laughs out of nothing, which has been the case in so many of his recent movies.

Yet, That's My Boy does suffer from some problems. You will love the appearance of Vanilla Ice and all of the crazy antics he gets involved with, but it feels a bit derivative of Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar. Plus, the whole idea of a teacher seducing such a young boy and having played for that many laughs, along with another of the movie's twists, feels almost too creepy.

Anders and Caspe avoid any sentimentality or big life lessons, so they deserve extra credit for that.

That's My Boy is rated R for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language and some drug use.