The Waterboy (1998)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Frank Coraci

Writers (WGA):

Tim Herlihy (written by) &
Adam Sandler (written by)

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The Water-Boy is The Devil!

Plot:

A football team water boy discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.

Plot Keywords:

Coach | Water | College Football | College | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Robert 'Bobby' Boucher Jr.
Kathy Bates	...	Helen 'Mama' Boucher
Fairuza Balk	...	Vicki Vallencourt
Henry Winkler	...	Coach Klein
Jerry Reed	...	Coach Red Beaulieu
Larry Gilliard Jr.	...	Derek Wallace
Blake Clark	...	Farmer Fran
Peter Dante	...	Gee Grenouille
Jonathan Loughran	...	Lyle Robideaux
Al Whiting	...	Casey Bugge
Clint Howard	...	Paco
Allen Covert	...	Walter
Rob Schneider	...	Townie
Todd Holland	...	Greg Meaney
Robert Kokol	...	Professor

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some crude sexual humor.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Philippines:G | Australia:M | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Citrus Bowl - 1610 W. Church Street, Orlando, Florida, USA

Company:

Robert Simonds Productions

Trivia:

Suzanne Lloyd Hayes, granddaughter of silent screen star Harold Lloyd, filed a $50 million dollar lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company in 2000, claiming that this movie was plagiarized from Lloyd's silent film classic The Freshman (1925). By 2002, the courts had ruled against her.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Coach Klein sits down when feeling lightheaded, a curved line appears on the chalkboard.

Quotes:

Guy Grenouille: Nice going shithead. You lost us the football game.
Bobby Boucher: Sorry. Will you please still be my friend?
Guy Grenouille: No, Get away.

Movie Connections:

References Schoolgirls in Chains (1973)

Soundtrack:

Band Drum Cadence

Another score for Sandler!

It's Adam Sandler. Are we expecting a smart comedy, along the lines of Woody Allen and Albert Brooks? Of course not. But like all his comedies, it works. Some of the jokes are truly lame (not in a funny way), but most of them worked. Sandler helped pen the script, so naturally the humor is cheap and juvenile. But everyone, young and old, has a kid or teenager inside of them that is dying to break out. That explains the success of "There's Something About Mary." I'm sure a movie with such widespread success didn't reach only a young audience. When an old man dressed like Colonel Sanders gets hit in the head by a paperweight, call me immature, but I'm going to laugh out loud! Sandler does a great job at awakening the kid in all of us. It's truly evident that the kid in him is fully awakened.

Honestly, I still prefer Sandler's "Billy Madison" (I will always love that movie!) and "Happy Gilmore," but this is a good one too. I never thought Fairuza Balk was hot, before checking out this film. Anyone who has seen "The Craft" knows damn well she looked horrible! And for good reason--she was playing a witch! Here, she looks hot, and walks around in a lot of skimpy outfits--MMMM! No matter how many times I watch this film, I can't help but crack up at Blake Clark as Farmer Fran. God, what an underrated talent! His main gag is you can't understand what the hell he's saying. Sure, it doesn't sound like much on paper--shows how the timing and execution of a joke can really work wonders. He also made a short appearance in "Joe Dirt," so look for him in that one as well. There are a good deal of notable gags: the Roy Orbison tattoo, Rob Schneider's "You can do it!" character, etc. I can't say this is a subtle comedy that you'll want to check out over and over again to search for jokes you may have missed. To tell the truth, I think the film gets more lame in further viewings. Which is why it's good to watch it once or twice. Don't wear it out, because this kind of comedy can wear out easily--like those supermarket brand AA batteries.

"The Waterboy" is funny, mindless entertainment. I recommend watching it--just read a book afterwards...LOL. Critics have criticized Sandler for lowering viewers' comic standards. Sure, his gags may not be as intelligently crafted as those of the late Marx Brothers or Buster Keaton, but he knows how to make people laugh and I'm not going to fry him for that. Some don't find him funny--and if you don't, I understand. But I'm not going to view Sandler as comedy's Hitler. Believe me, I've seen much worse.

My score: 7 (out of 10)