5 Rubbish Movie Dads Who Go On To Redeem Themselves

1. Sonny Koufax - Big Daddy

Sonny is a bum, an insensitive jerk, living off of a lawsuit payment. He is the furthest thing from a good father imaginable. So when, after a mix-up with Social Services, he finds himself looking after a little boy, Julian, the inevitable bad parenting happens. He teaches the young man to pee in doorways, damage supermarket goods to get a discount, lets him eat ketchup packets and then go on to be known as the smelly kid in school. They have fun together but Julian, or Frankenstein as he likes to be called, really gets the shaft in terms of a well-balanced upbringing. That is until, determined to prove his own father wrong, Sonny starts to straighten out and with his new attitude, Julian starts to do better in school and straighten out as well. When social services realise their error and Sonny and Julian are separated, the film stops being a comedy and produces, in all honesty some of the saddest and touching scenes I€™ve seen in a movie. It catches you by surprise in a film marketed as a comedy and it shows the acting ability of the often-maligned Sandler. The chemistry between Sonny and Julian, through the highs and lows is what sucks you in and what I think makes it a great film, not just a great comedy. Eventually Sonny realises he can€™t go on living the way he does and reforms for the better. It€™s a real heart-warmer when the lovable duo are reunited and you realise Sonny is on the straight and narrow for good. He even repairs his relationship with his own dad. I€™ve kept this list short and sweet because I€™d love to hear what other examples WhatCulture readers can come up with. Please comment below.