Of the Adam Sandler-birthed Happy Madison’s many wretched films, few if any have been as inauspicious as their latest Netflix comedy, Father of the Year. Essentially the pooled tears of so many a woeful Sandler production, the film is written and directed by a couple guys who’ve done some bit parts, second unit directing, and production assistant work in the likes of Jack and Jill and Grown Ups 2 (mercifully, neither have yet been credited on IMDb nor Wikipedia). David Spade, that largest of not-so-Happy tears, stars as a somewhat more grounded, more drunken version of his Joe Dirt character, but now drifting in and out of what’s occasionally a Boston accent. He’s inexplicably challenged to fight his son’s friend’s dad (Nat Faxon), and that somehow leads to a coming-of-age story and what will inevitably be a heartfelt reconnect between estranged father and son. As you’ll see in the above trailer, it also leads to innumerable slapstick falls and nothing else that’s entirely recognizable as an actual joke.
So make sure to watch Father of the Year when that hits Netflix on July 20.
