You Get What You Give: Big Daddy Energy

New Radicals: You Get What You Give

Film: Big Daddy

The first time I saw Big Daddy, I was sprawled out on the carpet at Carl’s house, watching a rented Blockbuster VHS spin its magic on the screen. I was a kid. The world was still big and weird and confusing but that movie? That movie made it all feel a little warmer, a little funnier, and a lot more human.

I laughed through most of it. Cried at the end. Fell in love with Adam Sandler a little more than I already was. And honestly? I never looked back.

To this day, Big Daddy is one of my all time favorite films. It’s one of Jamie’s, too. We still quote it, still love it, still share it. We even had a dog (Frankenstein Julian) named after the kid in the movie. Because of course we did. You don’t watch a scene like that and not want to name something Frankenstein.

Adam Sandler is probably my favorite actor… and full disclosure if I’m being honest quite likely my top former celebrity crush. I love his whole essence—the basketball shorts, the absurd fashion, the way he can carry a jar of pickles with heart. He’s the guy who makes being silly look soulful. The guy who makes loving people look easy. He’s got this weird magic where one minute he’s throwing sticks in the park, and the next, he’s raising someone else’s kid with more heart than half the dads in the PTA.

And the ending, I mean come on seriously. That final scene. Julian’s birthday, Hooters, heartstrings tugged just enough and boom... you’re sitting there with a smile on your face, maybe tears in your eyes, and the music just lifts you. It was already a great track. But paired with that moment? so good!  The film knows how to handle a soundtrack, plus the trailer is so fantastic. In comes New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give.” The perfect bridge track. Bright, bittersweet, bigger than life. The songs message really seems to meet the energy of the film.

Oh and let us not forget Styx!

“And he taught me that Styx was one of the greatest American rock bands, and they only caught a bad rap because most critics are cynical assholes.”

Honestly? Can’t argue with that logic. Styx is amazing.

And here’s the thing: I used to laugh at that Styx line in Big Daddy. It was funny, sure. But then I saw them live, at The Woodlands, with my dad and Jamie. It was, hands down, the best live performance I’ve ever seen. They covered I Am the Walrus and it blew my entire brain out of my body. The lights, the sound, the joy it was next seriously level. And standing there in that moment, with two people I love, it didn’t feel like a joke anymore. It felt true. Styx really was one of the greatest American rock bands. End of story.

Of course there are also some other great jams sprinkled throughout the film… tracks by Guns N’ Roses, Garbage, and more.

“When I Grow Up” by Garbage blasts through the opening credits as Sonny sleepwalks through adulthood, dropping cereal, dodging phone calls, and pretending his law degree isn’t collecting dust somewhere in the apartment. It’s gritty and ridiculous and kinda sad. But that’s what makes it honest.

The song doesn’t say, “When I grow up I’ll be perfect.” It says, “When I grow up, I’ll be stable. When I grow up, I’ll turn the tables.”

It’s sarcastic, sure. But it’s also low-key hopeful. An anthem for anyone who’s ever felt like a late bloomer or a beautiful disaster in progress.

There’s this feeling that runs through the whole movie, under all the jokes and chaos… a heartbeat that says: you’ve got the music in you. Even when you don’t feel it yet.

And somewhere between the Garbage song, a trip to Hooters, a passionate courtroom defense of Styx and those final end scenes it becomes clear: this movie wasn’t just a favorite it was a little compass. A way to grow up with humor, stay soft in a tough world, and believe in second chances.

Let’s just go ahead and say it: Adam Sandler is a national treasure. Period. End of story. The man walks around in basketball shorts, mismatched shirts, and sandals with socks like it’s a full-time job and somehow, he still radiates more charm than half of Hollywood in a tux.

He’s funny in that effortless, offbeat, lovable way. But it’s more than that. There’s a kindness that slips through the cracks of his goofiness. That’s what hit me with Big Daddy. Yeah, he was immature. Yeah, he let a five-year-old dress himself for court. But the guy had heart. And that heart only got bigger as the movie went on.

That’s Sandler magic. The way he plays Sonny like a guy who doesn’t have it all figured out, but loves hard anyway that stuck with me. Still does. There’s something timeless about characters who choose love, who stumble toward it clumsily, and end up better for it.

Big Daddy isn’t just about parenting or growing up, it’s about finding your rhythm. 

And in real life? His persona seems the same way. Married forever. Loving father. 

(Fun fact: I read he actually met Jackie his wife through filming Big Daddy and Rob Schneider. She had a tiny role as a Hooters waitress, and they started dating right after filming.)

Word is, he’s always casting his actual kids and friends in his movies. Staying loyal to the weird little family he’s built over the years. He’s the kind of celebrity who makes you feel like maybe there’s a little more good in the world than we give it credit for. Like maybe you really can wear gym shorts to any occasion and name your dog Frankenstein Julian.

Because we did. We really did. Well the dog name part at least! Frankie was one of our most beloved pets, son of Matilda and Atticus, named after the moment Julian got to rename himself. And there was just something about that moment, that spirit. Choosing who you want to be. Giving yourself a name. Finding family in unexpected places.

I was just a kid when I saw it for the first time, and somehow it still feels like a blueprint. Love people, even if you’re a mess. Laugh through it. Dance in the living room. Let your kid dress like a superhero. Don’t take things too seriously. Defend Styx in public.

Because yeah, sometimes life really is just taking out the trash and singing to yourself, trying your best not to lose your mind. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, it ends with someone hugging you in a wing restaurant, while New Radicals plays in the background and everything feels weirdly perfect.

That’s the thing about movies like this. They sneak in under your skin. They grow up with you. They stick.

Time evolves, love grows and 

now we have our sweet Gracie.

Always dancing, always tapping her feet to the beat, like she was born with music in her bones.

You’ve got the music in you.

She really does.

And I hope she always keeps it… that spark, that rhythm, that joy.

I hope she and her brother and sister always know that they are part of this strange, beautiful soundtrack.

The one that keeps playing, even after the credits roll.

Because sometimes Cinematic Embers are made of Blockbuster rentals, VHS tapes, a dog named Frankenstein and one perfect song that reminds you, right in the middle of the chaos: you get what you give.