Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Big Daddy Adoption Movie Review
When unemployed law-school dropout Sonny answers his
apartment door, he is confronted with Julian, the heretofore unknown
five-year-old son of Sonny’s absent roommate, Kevin. Julian’s mother is dying,
and she wants Julian to be raised by his father rather than a foster home.
Sonny pretends to be Kevin. He manages to trick social services into leaving
Julian with him. For a short time Sonny raises Julian as his own son.
Eventually, though, social services discovers the ruse. They take Julian from
Sonny. Although Sonny petitions the court to get Julian back, the court warns
Sonny that he is in danger of criminal prosecution. Sonny is saved when Kevin
acknowledges that Julian is his son. Kevin will raise Julian. Sonny is able to
stay in Julian’s life in an uncle-like role.
The Adoption
Connection
For a short time, Sonny functions as an adoptive father to
Julian. At one point, Sonny tries to convince his girlfriend that she has also,
unwittingly, become an adoptive parent to Julian. The girlfriend quickly breaks
up with him.
Strong Points
Sonny does love Julian, and encourages Julian to face his
fears. Kevin, Julian’s father, ultimately acknowledges his responsibility as a
father.
Sonny promises Julian that, although he can’t be is dad, he’ll
always “be your friend… your family. And I’ll always be around.”
Challenges
Sonny’s parenting of Julian should never have happened;
Sonny was only allowed to parent Julian because he convinced social services
that he was Kevin, Julian’s father. The social service worker is so lax in his
work that he allows this to go unchecked for a long time. He never realizes
that Sonny doesn’t know how to care for a child. Later, when Sonny asks to give
Julian back, the social worker allows Sonny to take Julian back home with him, suggesting
that we “pretend you never came in.” Most social workers are more diligent.
Sonny’s father adamantly opposes Sonny’s desire to adopt
Julian. While his father is right that it isn’t a good choice for Sonny, some
young viewers might be troubled by adoption being shot down as a bad idea, if
they’re not able to see it in context.
When the social worker takes Julian away from Sonny, Julian
protests that he doesn’t want to go. He feels that it must be his fault that he
is being taken away, and he tries in vain to bargain to stay. It could be a
hard scene for some viewers.
Weak Points
In his own words, Sonny tries “to adopt a kid to fix a
troubled relationship, like a lady getting pregnant.” Not a good motivation for
adoption! When his relationship ends,
he tries to use Julian to pick up girls in a park.
Julian kills many birds with a slingshot.
Recommendations
In a way, Julian is almost adopted by his sort-of foster
family before being reunified with his birth parent, and afterwards, foster and
actual father remain positively involved in his life. That is actually a
best-case scenario for kids in foster care. So Big Daddy might be an
interesting film for prospective foster parents to watch prior to taking in
kids. For kids who have been adopted from foster care, the movie could be hard
for them because, in the end, Julian gets to go home. The movie will probably
appeal most to teens.
Questions for
Discussion
Why didn’t Sonny’s dad want Sonny to adopt Julian?
Why did Kevin decide to say he’s Julian’s dad? Why was it
hard for him to say it?
Why did the social worker take Julian away from Sonny?
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