Funny is some spots, idiotic in others and a combination of both during its moments of raunchy insanity, That’s My Boy is a suitably moronic entry into the canon of Adam Sandler’s man-child comedies.  

Sandler’s films are an acquired taste. Sometimes he scores big (The Wedding Singer) and most of the time he does not (Jack & Jill, Little Nicky and many others). His latest That’s My Boy rests comfortably in the middle, relishing in its over the top raunchiness but also suffering from too much juvenile gross out and not enough quality jokes.

Sandler plays Donnie Burger, a minor celebrity whose claim to fame is impregnating his maths teacher (Eva Amuri Martino, later played by her mother Susan Sarandon) when he was 14. The product of their much illegal love is Han Solo, aka Todd (Andy Samberg) a successful hedge fund manager about to marry upper class Jamie (Leighton Meester). When Donnie decides to crash the wedding weekend for some overdue father-son time, things get complicated not to mention messy, repulsive and once in a while funny.

In the pantheon of Sandler’s man-child characters, Donnie is equally endearing and annoying. Complete with funny voice (never a good sign in a Sandler performance), mullet haircut and love for hard rock classics played on tape cassette, Donnie is the type of character who could easily fit in a 1980s era Meatballs rip-off. To call him juvenile would be offensive to juveniles yet Sandler has fun playing the role, unleashing a furore of nasty sex jokes and f-bombs that he has no doubt been building up inside him since his last R rated venture Funny People.  

Playing the straight man to Sandler’s raunchy clown is Andy Samberg. It’s a shame that Sandberg has been saddled with such thankless material, since he is clearly a gifted comedian as Saturday Night Live and his comedy music group Lonely Island has proven. Having recently quit SNL, That’s My Boy will work as a way for Samberg to introduce himself to new viewers, yet this is very much a film tailored for Sandler.

Even though directed by the capable Sean Anders (Hot Tub Time Machine) and written by David Caspe (he of Happy Endings fame), That’s My Boy clearly went through the Happy Madison machine and while better than Sandler’s recent efforts, it just does not have the consistency to be all that memorable save for its ability to take taboo issues such as statutory rape (and other equally messed up sex crimes) and try to make it part of an obscene joke.

As a result That’s My Boy is a film of acquired dis-taste. Sandler fans who love his Billy Madison-esque antics will get a kick out of it. Those who find Sandler annoying…well, you shouldn’t be watching the film in the first place.