A lot of Adam Sandler's comedies seem to be given bad reviews, and I can see that for some of his newer stuff, especially his two newest films, JUST GO WITH IT and GROWN UPS. On the other hand, there is no reason to give such poor feedback to BILLY MADISON. I'm not saying that because it's one of his earlier films,
and that makes his acting and humor better--really, it doesn't. But to tell you the truth, this movie really isn't all that terrible. It tells the hysterically funny story of a man (the title character himself, played by none other than Adam Sandler) whose father, a millionaire, needs somebody to take over as CEO of his hotel chain. When Billy, the original person to inherit the job, wrecks the formal dinner, his millionaire father decides to hand his career over to somebody else. At this, Billy becomes frustrated, so he decides that he will, within one year total, repeat grades one through twelve to prove that he's NOT an idiot as he made himself look. So it's a predictable film--honestly, ask yourself: would it really be a spoiler if I told you that throughout the movie Billy ends up making a fool of himself, and his maturity level never, ever raises?--but as for predictable, isn't every Sandler movie? So far, this is the funniest Adam Sandler picture I have seen. It is truly his definitive work.
June 28, 2011
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