That's My Boy (2012)

That's My Boy is a 2012 American satirical comedy film, directed by Sean Anders and starring Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. The film follows Donny (Sandler), a middle-aged alcoholic who once enjoyed celebrity status for being at the center of a teacher-student sexual abuse case, as he tries to rekindle his relationship with his adult son, Todd (Samberg), born as the result of that illicit relationship, in hopes that their televised reunion will earn him enough money to avoid going to prison for tax evasion.
The film was released on June 15, 2012, by Columbia Pictures, and despite a sizable budget for a comedy film and a cast made of well-known actors, comedians, and celebrities, the film was both a critical and financial failure, grossing just $57 million against a $70 million budget. The film's financial health was further damaged by accusations of homophobic and misogynistic writing and criticism for its comedic treatment of child sexual abuse, rape, incest, and child neglect. Some consider it to be one of the worst films ever made.
==Plot==
In 1984, Donny's middle school teacher, Mary McGarricle, begins a sexual relationship with him. When this relationship is discovered, she is sentenced to the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; she is later revealed to be pregnant. Custody of the unborn child is awarded to Donny's abusive father, until Donny turns 18 and can assume full custody.
Twenty-eight years later in 2012, Donny is a broke, alcoholic slacker who spends his time with his friends, bartender Brie and her stripper mother, Champale. Donny is now estranged from his son, who, embarrassed by his parents' scandalous past and Donny's continued immaturity, has changed his name to Todd Peterson to avoid discovery of his parentage. Now a successful businessman, Todd has recently arrived at the Cape Cod house of his boss, where he is to marry his fiancée, Jamie.
Donny learns from his lawyer, Jim Nance, that he owes $43,000 to the IRS in back-taxes and will be imprisoned for three years if he doesn't repay the money by the end of the weekend. However, Nance has him place a $20 bet on an 8000:1 runner in the following Monday's Boston Marathon. In spite of this, Donny realizes that he may need a back-up plan should the runner lose. He visits TV producer Randall Morgan, who had produced shows for Donny during his brief period of celebrity, and Morgan offers him $50,000 if he can organize a reunion with Todd and Mary McGarricle at the women's prison.
Donny arrives at Cape Cod to try to convince Todd to participate. Todd had previously told people his parents were dead, so he introduces Donny as an old friend. Donny quickly becomes well-liked by the others, at the expense of Todd's popularity. Without revealing that it is for a TV show, Donny tries to convince Todd to see his mother at the women's prison; Todd refuses. Todd fights constantly with Donny about Donny's immaturity. Donny admits he was young and didn't know how to be a father, since his own never taught him how. Todd eventually comes to imitate his father's reckless behavior, including engaging in a fight with Father McNally, cancelling the church rehearsal. Before Jamie's family could blame Todd, Donny saves him by convincing his future in-laws to have the wedding rehearsal away from churches, as Todd is still grieving the death of his father.
Donny joins Todd and his friends at Todd's bachelor party, a relaxing day at a spa. However, Donny convinces the guys to attend a strip club. Over the course of the night, Todd eventually agrees to meet his mother at the women's prison. Donny tries to stop the meeting, knowing a TV crew will be there, but Todd goes anyway. Mary, Donny, and Todd are ambushed by a TV crew, forcing a disgusted Todd to leave without signing a release form, leaving Donny without any money.
Donny overhears Jamie on the phone with Todd's boss, Steve Spirou; the conversation implies they've been sleeping together behind Todd's back. He tries to warn Todd, but Jamie comes up with a convincing cover story that fools Todd. Later, Donny discovers Jamie having sex with her brother, Chad, in a hotel room. Realizing that she could lose Todd if Donny tells him about her sexual affair with both Chad and Steve, she gives him a $50,000 check in order to keep him quiet.
Despite Jamie's hush money, Donny's actions begin to weigh heavily on his conscience and he realizes he has to stop the wedding. With help from his best friend from his celebrity days, they make it to the wedding in time. Donny reveals he is Todd's father, rips up Jamie's check, and forces her to admit her adulterous and incestuous actions behind Todd's back. Todd, disgusted, breaks up with Jamie and accepts Donny as his father, reclaiming his birth name of Han Solo Berger.
The following day, at the strip club, Han reveals he is dating Brie and offers Donny the money to pay for his unpaid taxes. Donny turns down the offer, accepting it's time for him to take responsibility for his actions. He prepares to go to prison to rekindle his relationship with Mary after his sentence is over, but the bet he placed on the marathon wins him $160,000, satisfyingly the IRS, keeping him out of prison.
==Cast==
*Adam Sandler as Donny
*Andy Samberg as Todd, Donny and Mary's son
*Leighton Meester as Jamie, Todd's fiancée
*Vanilla Ice as himself, Donny's best friend
*James Caan as Father McNally
*Milo Ventimiglia as Chad, Jamie's younger brother
*Blake Clark as Gerald, Jamie and Chad's father
*Meagen Fay as Helen, Jamie and Chad's mother
*Tony Orlando as Steve Spirou, Todd's boss
*Will Forte as Phil
*Rachel Dratch as Phil's wife
*Nick Swardson as Kenny
*Peggy Stewart as Grandma Delores, Steve's mother
*Luenell as Champale, a stripper and Brie's mother
*Ciara as Brie, a bartender and Donny's friend, Todd's secondary love interest
*Ana Gasteyer as Mrs. Ravensdale
*Eva Amurri Martino as Mary McGarricle
*Justin Weaver as Young Donny
*Susan Sarandon as Mary McGarricle (present day), Donny's middle school teacher/lover and Todd's mother
*Todd Bridges as Himself
*Dan Patrick as Randall Morgan
*Rex Ryan as Jim Nance
*Jackie Sandler as Masseuse
*Erin Andrews as Randall Morgan's receptionist
*Peter Dante as Dante Spirou, Steve's son
*Alan Thicke as TV version Donny's dad
*Ian Ziering as TV version Donny
*Colin Quinn as Strip club DJ
*Baron Davis as Gym coach
*Dennis Dugan as School janitor
==Production==
The film was originally titled I Hate You, Dad, and then changed to Donny's Boy before the producers finally settled on That's My Boy. Filming began on May 2, 2011, and ended on July 15, 2011.
Filming took place in Massachusetts, with studio filming at Columbia Pictures in Culver City, California.
==Release==
===Box office===
The film opened on June 15, 2012, grossing $13,453,714 in its opening weekend, ranking #4 behind the second weekends of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Prometheus, and the opening of Rock of Ages.
The film grossed $36,931,089 domestically and $57,719,093 worldwide, failing to recoup its $70 million budget, making it a financial failure.
===Critical response===
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 114 reviews, with an average rating of 3.39/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "While it does represent a new foray into raunch for the normally PG-13 Sandler, That's My Boy finds him repeating himself to diminishing effect – and dragging Andy Samberg down with him." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A to F scale.
Film critic Richard Roeper gave the film an F, calling it "an ugly, tasteless, deadly and mean-spirited piece of filmmaking," and would later call it the worst film of 2012. Justin Chang of Variety called it "a shameless celebration of degenerate behavior, a work of relentless vulgarity and staggering moral idiocy." Alonso Duralde gave the film a scathing review, calling it "vulgar, trite, sexist, misogynist, hacky, tacky, gross, sentimental and stupid, with occasional flourishes of racism and veiled homophobia thrown in to boot." Half in the Bag called the film "pathetic" and "painful", and went on to criticize Sandler as a comic, suggesting he was unable to create humor that was not based on childish jokes.
Not all critics were as dismissive. Jake McGowan, writing for The Daily Targum, took a different approach. He evaluated the film as a “postmodern, absurdist deconstruction of irony and its impact on critical issues,” further stating that Sandler's work “was an artistic reminder that we cannot tackle our traumas or prevent future despair without confronting society’s dirty underbelly head-on. We cannot move forward with quips and irony. Critics felt sick after watching the movie because Sandler wanted them to.” 
The film was criticized for making light of statutory rape, incest, and child neglect.
===Home media===
The film was released to DVD and Blu-ray on October 16, 2012 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Category:2012 films
Category:Rated R
Category:English-language films
Category:2012 black comedy films
Category:2010s sex comedy films
Category:American black comedy films
Category:American sex comedy films
Category:American films
Category:Films about alcoholism
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:Films about teacher–student relationships
Category:Films set in 1984
Category:Films set in 2012
Category:Films set in Massachusetts
Category:Films shot in Massachusetts
Category:Incest in film
Category:Juvenile sexuality in films
Category:Relativity Media films
Category:Happy Madison Productions films
Category:Columbia Pictures films
Category:Films directed by Sean Anders
Category:Films produced by Adam Sandler
Category:Films produced by Allen Covert
Category:Films produced by Jack Giarraputo
Category:Fictional portrayals of the Boston Police Department
Category:Films scored by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Category:Films about rape
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