DENNIS DUGAN

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB

USA, 1999.  Jack Giarraputo Productions, Out of the Blue… Entertainment.  Story by Steve Franks, Screenplay by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler.  Cinematography by Theo van de Sande.  Produced by Jack Giarraputo.  Music by Teddy Castellucci.  Production Design by Perry Andelin Blake.  Costume Design by Ellen Lutter.  Film Editing by Jeff Gourson.  

Adam Sandler plays a shiftless layabout who loses his girlfriend (Kristy Swanson) to his lazy ways, but gets the chance to make up for it in the form of an abandoned child (Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse) in this sappy but winsome comedy.

Taking care of the youngster proves to be difficult, not to mention hindering to his new romance with Joey Lauren Adams, but with a lot of plucky resourcefulness and easy attitude on the child’s discipline, the job is accomplished; keeping the adoption service people and the child’s natural father at bay proves to be more of a challenge.

Sandler’s mix of feel-good schmaltz and slapstick comedy doesn’t always melt together as intended (he succeeded better in The Waterboy), but the movie’s feeling is positive and the atmosphere is bouncy enough.

Adams is delectable, and all the actors in smaller roles (Leslie Mann, Jon Stewart, Josh Mostel, Rob Schneider) do their job more than ably.