The Waterboy (1998)
Director: Frank Coraci Cast: Adam Sandler, Fairuza Balk, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler Screenplay: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler Producers: Jack Giarraputo, Robert Simonds Runtime: US Distribution: Beuna Vista/Touchstone Rated PG-13: language, crude sexual humor
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
There are critics out there who want you to believe that Adam Sandler is the devil. I, myself, must disagree, because he makes me laugh. In fact, he makes me laugh so hard that I doubt I'll ever dislike one of his films. The guy is so funny. He also has range (another point that could probably be heavily debated), and isn't unbearable when he's forced to do a little bit of acting. I really noticed him in Happy Gilmore (Sandler plays rage so well), and he was slightly more serious in The Wedding Singer. It seems now that he can only get better.
And here comes The Waterboy, a movie guaranteed to make a killing at the box office. It's a profoundly dumb film, and probably wouldn't be much without Sandler, but he's in it nonetheless. I am of the opinion that Sandler can make any film funny. He'd be funny in a documentary, or in an infomercial, or in a sappy romance with bad dialogue. For those of you who hate Adam Sandler, I offer a half-apology for my gushing. Actually, I think you should wake up and realize that here we have one of the most talented comedians ever to utilize a silly voice on the big screen.
The Waterboy, directed by Frank Coraci and written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, is not a wealth of insight into the sports world, but it offers a little bit of intelligent satire and a whole lot of laughs. Sandler plays Bobby Boucher, a social moron who works as a waterboy for a college team. Everyone hates him, and his only friend is his Mamma (Kathy Bates). It's inevitable that the evil coach Beaulieu (Jerry Reed) fires him, and that he gets a job as the waterboy of a lousy college team.
The lousy team makes fun of him, too, until he loses his temper one day and tackles one of the guys. But Bobby doesn't just tackle him -- the guy gets laid out, and so Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) begs Bobby to play for the team. Despite his Mamma's warnings, Bobby plays for the team. >From there, the picture is pure formula -- Bobby helps the team win, his Mamma gives him a guilt trip, the other team tries to thwart him, etc. -- but at least we're never expected to take all of this seriously.
The real problem with an Adam Sandler movie is that there's not much to look at besides Adam Sandler. In this case, the supporting cast holds up pretty well -- Bates is good as Mamma, though her role is perhaps a bit larger than I would have liked. Winkler is also pretty funny, and Fairuza Balk, who plays Bobby's love interest, is interesting to watch. But Sandler is the star, and the film is really pretty dull when he's not doing his dopey-eyed silly-voiced routine.
I prefer Sandler when he's in his violent mode -- as he was in Happy Gilmore -- but he's still a pleasure to watch in The Waterboy. I think it's a good idea to let Sandler write his own characters, because he knows his capabilities and what makes people laugh. Not everything hits the mark -- a few of the running jokes fall flat, and the story, as I said, is little more than glorified nonsense. Still, if an evening of laughs is all you want, then look no further than The Waterboy. If you're the type who thinks Adam Sandler is the devil, I'm more inclined to send you my condolences. You're missing out on the early years of a funny guy who will be around for a long time to come.
>From 0-10: 6
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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