Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler) is a water boy who gets a chance at playing football for a college team when he finds out he has a great tackling ability.
Director: Frank Coraci
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some crude sexual humor
Fun Fact: This film is included in Roger Ebert’s Most Hated List.
This is the first Adam Sandler film that I’ve sat down and reviewed. I remember when this came out in the 90’s and everyone that saw it was quoting it. This was at the time when Sandler had left SNL and was working on making a name for himself on the film circuit.
Well it’s your typical Sandler comedy that he has been doing for the longest time. Unpopular underdog type character that is bullied to no end. He ends up meeting an attractive female which he gets with at the end of the film, and overcomes the obstacles and bullies. It’s basic and in a way, it works out here. For a sports comedy, you don’t need something grand for a plot and for a sports type film it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
To be honest I couldn’t stand Sandler’s acting. I get it, he does the weird voices and while it makes some people laugh, I was more annoyed with it. It was funny for the first few minutes then it just wasn’t that funny anymore or to begin with. Henry Winkler on the other hand was the best part of the film. I enjoyed watching him on screen and wanted to see more of his character.
As jokes go it has a few funny parts and to me it just came off as boring. We have the lead character that has a funny voice but, let’s throw in even more with them and make them even more dull. I get it’s supposed to be a stereotype of someone from Louisiana but, it gets old fast. Plus, you have a ton of clichés of any loser type comedy like when he must take the test and the teachers are watching him in a secluded area. The jokes were driven on his tackling ability and you could tell when they were coming and it got predictable towards the end.
Overall The Waterboy is just a bland film. It has a few funny moment’s but, it gets old fast. Save for checking out Henry Winkler’s character I would have to give this one a pass.
Verdict: Miss
Henry's Movie Reviews 