W2TCH

That's My Boy (2012)

2012 • 1h 56m • Comedy • R
On September 24, 2026
#1748▼ 1128
1748th by Pulse movie online
52.6PULSEPulse MeterOur daily Pulse Meter measures public activity and popularity signals across the web.How it works →

All reviews

Kamurai on That's My Boy

4/10 · Jul 13, 2020

A terrible film that I won’t be watching again, and I can’t suggest anyone else see it either. I was surprised I hadn't heard of this movie before. I’ve hosted watch parties with friends featuring Happy Madison films in the past, but after seeing this one, I understand why it flew under the radar. I'm generally not a fan of Adam Sandler (though there are some of his movies that I enjoy watching over and over), or Andy Samberg (who, to me, seems better at writing jokes than delivering them), but this felt like he’d accepted a challenge to make anything humorous. The movie begins with a depiction of statutory rape, which is jarring. Perhaps the writer was trying to comment on the inconsistent standards applied depending on whether the minor involved is male or female, but the gravity of the situation isn't handled well, even though it’s mentioned in the film. Given that much of the plot revolves around sex, and possibly alcoholism (again, this point isn't made very clearly), there are elements promoting sexual acceptance throughout the movie, including inclusivity regarding age, skin color, body type, disability, and open communication about sexuality. However, because adultery and incest are used as comedic devices to cause humiliation, it undermines any positive messages about sex. This results in a situation where viewers are encouraged to laugh at people involved in inappropriate sexual situations due to incest or infidelity (the moral differences between the two are explicitly addressed), along with statutory rape, elderly individuals having sex, people expressing their thoughts on sex, and interactions with women of color being portrayed as comical—things that should be avoided and suppressed. If that's the intention, then fine, but don’t make a movie about it and force me to consider these issues while calling it a comedy. On top of all this, there’s the usual storyline where everyone is attracted to Adam Sandler, he’s an alcoholic, and then you add everything that happens to Andy Samberg's character, including neglect and likely abuse of children. It’s good for a family to reconcile and move forward together, but making a movie centered around them bonding over Donny’s awkward magic tricks sends a strange message. I enjoy turning off my brain and watching something lighthearted, and that’s what I was prepared to do, but then I got pulled into someone else's debate about the appropriateness of a high schooler impregnating his teacher, which really spoiled the experience for me.

Source on TMDB