It’s fitting that the firstAdam Sandlerfilm that forced his juvenile screen persona to finally grow up and settle down happened to be where the actor himself discovered the person he would start a family with. Following two cult classics inBilly MadisonandHappy Gilmore, and the successes ofThe Wedding SingerandThe Waterboy, Sandler added slightly more sophistication inBig Daddy, a smash hit at the box office in 1999, and the movie that cemented Sandler as not just aneccentricSaturday Night Livecast member, but a bonafide movie star. While it mostly operates like your typical Sandler vehicle,Big Daddyreckons with the star’s often grating but wholly infectious archetype in his movies. In the story, we watch Sandler graduate past his childish ways and find genuine human connections, something he could’ve imbued with personal experience, as, while filming, he met his now-longtime wife,Jackie Sandler, who frequently makes cameos in the Happy Madison universe.
Adam Sandler Met His Wife on the Set of ‘Big Daddy’
If you told people, particularly film critics, in the 1990s that Adam Sandler would become one of the prominent andbeloved faces of American pop culture, there would be grave concerns about the future of society. Undoubtedly having fans, Sandler’s brand of comedy in his movies, extremely low-brow and over-the-top, was viewed as the nadir of culture for some. However,Big Daddyshowed that Sandler, while never evolving into a stately movie star likeGary Cooper(no matterhow hard he tried withMr. Deeds),could be a charming, wholehearted presence who attempts to raise a child and reform himself.
Big Daddycenters around a familiar Sandler character, Sonny Koufax, an irresponsible slacker who adopts a five-year-old boy, Julian (Cole Sprouse/Dylan Sprouse), to impress his girlfriend and prove that he’s cleaning up his act. Sonny has his own method of parenting, which leads the independent-minded Julian to display crass and colorful behavior. One scene follows Sonny taking Julian to his favorite bar to watch a New York Jets game. While Sonny is at the jukebox, a waitress,played by amodel named Jackie Titone, approaches Julian and asks him who he wants to win. The cute child adorably replies, “The goddamn Jets!,” creating an iconic catchphrase for every tortured Jets fan.
Jackie Titone’s stint as a day player onBig Daddywas enough to capture the eye of its main star, as she would begin a relationship with Sandler. After making brief appearances in the Sandler-producedDeuce Bigalow: Male GigoloandLittle Nicky,the two tied the knot in 2003 and have been a married couple ever since.For Adam Sandler, who has two daughters with Jackie, his professional and personal lives often intersect, so much so that he is often accused of making movies set in luxurious islands and getaway spots as an excuse to vacation with his friends and family.Jackie Sandler has become the Stan Lee of sorts of theHappy Madison universe, frequently making cameos in her husband’s films, including50 First Dates,You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, both installments in theGrown Upsseries,Murder Mystery,Hubie Halloween, and more. In some cases, like inGrown Ups 2, she is given a more outsized role beyond just a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.
‘Big Daddy’ Allowed Adam Sandler to Grow Up as a Star
Beyond its personal implications,Big Daddywas an inflection point in Adam Sandler’s highly successful career as a comedic and dramatic actor and producer. There was a ceiling to the ridiculousness of Sandler’s characters with silly voices and juvenile complexions, and if hecontinued making total farceslikeThe Waterboyforever, he would become a punchline. Of course, the Sandman was comfortable returning to the absurd inLittle NickyandJack and Jill, but withoutBig Daddy,audiences would never be prepared to take him seriously inPunch-Drunk Love,The Meyerowitz Stories, orUncut Gems. Sandler gives the movie and his character a sense of emotional maturity by lending him relatable struggles, notably learning how to accept responsibility and resolve psychological wounds with his father.
By still playing an indolent doofus while balancing real-world conflicts and emotions,Big Daddyquietly reckons with Adam Sandler’s established screen persona.It was time for Sonny Koufax to grow up, just like the man playing him, and beneath the character’s buffonery is a heart of gold.His innate lovable charmis the key behind Sandler’s current reign as arguably the most beloved celebrity around, and someone with enough respectability to perform bits at the Academy Awards. Not only did Sandler find the love of his life, but he also unlocked a new side to his stardom.
