That's My Boy - Adam Sandler takes the absurd, and finds the funny.

Okay, I want to get one thing out in the open right away.  I am an Adam Sandler fan, and have been for a long time. I am not ashamed to admit this.  I honestly think he is a very talented, very funny guy who has been able to carve out a pretty decent career catering to a very specific audience.  I have enjoyed Sandler since his early days on Saturday Night Live, and think his early films, Billy Madison, and Happy Gilmore, are pieces of comic gold. Granted, they are aimed at a very specific target audience, but for what they are, they are FUNNY!  He has perfected his loveable, kooky staple roles in films like 50 First Dates, Big Daddy, and Grown Ups. He has also flexed some very interesting acting chops in films like Punch Drunk Love, Spanglish, and Funny People.  However, this does not mean that I appreciate all of his work.  On the contrary, I think he has been involved in quite a few movies that have been just awful.  Jack and Jill and Little Nicky for example.  Wowzers, those were both unbelievably bad!
So I went into That's My Boy, expecting to be amused, but knowing to have realistic expectations.  I have to admit that my expectations were blown away in the first 10 minutes of the film.  Its not that the movie breaks any new ground, or showcases Sandler's talent in a new way.   Rather this film takes Sandler's personal brand of left field comedy so far beyond anything that he has produced to date, that you can't help but sit and laugh at the absurdity of the scenarios you are presented with on the big screen. 
The plot is pretty out there: Middle Schooler Donny Berger has a consensual affair with his hot older teacher which is eventually discovered and also results in an unexpected pregnancy.  Berger gains world wide fame and notoriety for his conquest while the teacher is sentenced to 30 years in prison for her actions.  The child of the union is raised by Donny's father until Donny turns 18, at which point he gains full custody.  Flash forward 27 years.  An older, no longer publicially revered Berger (Sandler), is destitute and in trouble with the IRS.  His son, Han Solo Berger (played by Andy Samberg), has changed his name to Todd and hasn't spoken with his estranged father in all most 10 years. Throughout the film it is made very clear to us that Sandler has not been a great father figure for his son.  He has made a lot of mistakes, many of which have had lasting repercussions.
The best thing about this film is that it doesn't apologize for what it is.  It embraces its absurd comedy, so much so that it borders on being a spoof on the genre.  Sandler's character is such an over the top, clueless douche waffle that it is often hard to think of him as a honest person with a full emotional spectrum, but once you consider that he is a product of his environment, you start to understand, and appreciate some of his choices. 
There are too many absurd circumstances to go into in detail, but I do want to make sure that I give Kudos where they are due:  A sly tip of the hat to the hilarious guest star role played by Vanilla Ice.  Yup.  There it is.  Vanilla Ice.  When he first appeared in the film, I thought it was just a quirky cameo, but it really is so much more than that.  He is featured in the film in a way that I never would have expected.  Here's where I admit that the first tape I ever purchased was in fact a copy of Vanilla Ice's To the Extreme, and at one point in my life I did know all of the words to Ice Ice Baby, so when Ice and Sandler go "rollin' in Five-point-Oh", I lost it.  Absolutely laugh out loud funny!
Ultimately, while I can definitely see that this film isn't for everyone, I laughed out loud a lot, and found myself wondering just how far the cast was willing to go for a laugh.  The answer...as far as it takes, and then some!