That's My Boy

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This article may contain content unsuitable for readers under eighteen years or older.‎
Reader discretion is advised.

 Produced By:
Allen Covert
Jack Giarraputo
Andy Samberg
Leighton Meester
***That's My Boy*** is a 2012 American satirical comedy film, directed by Sean Anders and starring Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. The film was released on June 15, 2012, by Columbia Pictures.

## Contents

* 1Plot
* 2Why It's **NOT** Our Boy
* 3Redeeming Qualities
* 4Reception
* 5Videos
* 6External links
* 7Comments

## Plot

In 1984, Donny Berger's teacher, a hebephile named Mary McGarricle, begins a sexual relationship with him. When she is discovered inciting him to sexual activity on a piano during an assembly, she is sentenced to a lengthy prison term where it is revealed she is pregnant. The court gives custody of the unborn child to Donny's abusive father until Donny himself is at the legal age to assume custody.

In 2012, Donny is a broke alcoholic slacker who spends his time with his friends, bartender Brie and her stripper mother Champale. Donny is estranged from his son who, embarrassed by Donny's immaturity, has changed his name to Todd Peterson. Todd, a successful businessman, has recently arrived at the Cape Cod house of his boss, where he is to marry his fiancée, Jamie Martin.

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. 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. Because he had previously told people that his parents had died, Todd introduces Donny as an old friend. Donny quickly becomes well-liked by the others, at the expense of Todd's popularity. Donny tries to convince Todd to come to the women's prison to see his mother, without revealing that it is for a TV show, but he refuses. Todd fights constantly with Donny about his father's immaturity, both now and during his childhood. Donny admits he was wrong for his actions and should've stopped himself, but didn't know how to be a father himself. After spending more time with Donny, Todd soon imitates his father's behavior, ultimately having the wedding rehearsal at the church cancelled by engaging in a fist fight with Father McNally , the parish priest. Donny saves Todd from further embarrassment by convincing his future-in-laws to move the rehearsal from churches because he's still going through the trauma of losing both his parents in one.

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 where Todd bonds with Brie. Over the course of the evening, Todd bonds with his father and agrees to meet his mother (Susan Sarandon) at the prison. Donny, knowing that a TV crew will be waiting, tries to stop the meeting from happening, but Todd goes to the prison anyway. Todd, Donny, and Mary are ambushed by the film crew and a disgusted Todd leaves without signing a release form, leaving Donny without any money.

Donny overhears Jamie on the phone with Todd's boss, Steve Spirou, having a conversation that implies they've been sleeping together behind Todd's back. He tries to warn Todd, but Jamie comes up with a convincing cover story. Later, Donny discovers Jamie having sex with her brother Chad at 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.

After receiving a conciliatory present from Todd, an oven mitt he used to cheer him up when he was younger, Donny decides that in spite of Jamie's hush money, he has to stop the wedding. He teams up with his friend from his brief celebrity days, Vanilla Ice, in a desperate bid to get to the wedding in time. At the ceremony, he reveals himself to be Todd's father and rips up Jamie's check. He forces her to admit her infidelity to Todd. A disgusted Todd breaks up with Jamie and calls off the wedding. He quits his job and acknowledges Donny as his father and even takes back his birth name of Han Solo Berger.

The following day at the strip club, Han reveals that he is dating Brie and offers Donny the money to help pay for the unpaid taxes. However, Donny refuses Han's offer, stating that it's time for him to grow up and accept responsibility for his own actions. Donny is preparing to go to prison and rekindle his relationship with Mary, when a bet he placed wins him enough money to satisfy the IRS. The film ends with Donny and Han celebrating with the rest of their friends.

## Why It's **NOT** Our Boy

1. The movie is infamous for its overuse of offensive and disgusting themes and jokes about incest, statutory rape, child sexual abuse, gerontophilia (**DON'T LOOK THAT UP**), child neglect and pedophilia. All that makes this Adam Sandler's most WTF? movie.
2. Some of the concepts don't even make sense such as Donny becoming famous just because he had sex with his teacher. In real life, that would cause a **major outrage** and **backlash** instead of fame and popularity.
3. Countless substance abuse. For instance in almost every scene Adam Sandler is in, he would have booze with him.
4. The protagonist Donny' Berger is completely unlikeable and very annoying even though everyone in the movie loves him, and he doesn't have any character development throughout the film! He remains the same from beginning to end!
5. Just like other Adam Sandler's characters, Donny's voice is very annoying and irritating for no particular reason.
6. Todd Petersen/Han Solo Berger is a huge Butt-Monkey who gets constantly abused by almost everyone throughout the entire film, including his own father Donny.
7. Poor dialogue.
8. White trash stereotypes.
9. Horrible gross-out humor.
10. No real morals or lessons are learned in the movie.
11. Product placement: Such as the game Angry Birds being played and mentioned in a few scenes.
12. The priest fight scene is simply a rehash of the fight with Bob Barker in *Happy Gilmore*.
13. Numerous other unlikeable characters, with the pedophilic Mary McGarricle and the overly sex-crazed Jamie Martin being the worst offenders.

## Redeeming Qualities

1. A funny cameo from Vanilla Ice. In essence, Vanilla Ice is to this movie what Al Pacino was to *Jack and Jill*.
2. It does make a comeback to Adam Sandler's edgy, R-rated, comedic roots, even though this is executed poorly this time around. It's darker and edgier than most of Sandler's other comedies, which tend to be PG-13.
3. Despite it's flaws (namely it's controversially comedic treatment of subjects that are no laughing matter or are too taboo to even joke about even by Adam Sandler comedy films' standards, but hey, it was rated **R** for a reason, so what did you expect?), some people actually do ironically enjoy this film, thus gaining this film a cult following overtime. For some, it's a film that is so bad and ridiculous it's actually good and enjoyable in it's own right, joining other films such as *The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl*, *Paul Blart: Mall Cop*, *Here Comes the Boom*, *Spy Kids*, *Cobra*, *Batman and Robin*, *Bad Boys*, *The Room*, and numerous others. **And even some of those have pages on the Greatest Movies Wiki!**
4. Rex Ryan’s cameo is really funny, with him as a fan of the Patriots.
5. Dante and Doctor Shakalu from *Grandma's Boy* reappear in this film.

## Reception

*That's My Boy* received negative reviews who 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. 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.