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Billy Madison

Play trailer Poster for Billy Madison PG-13 1995 1h 29m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Man-child Billy Madison has been a spoiled rich kid all his life, and spends his days drinking and partying. When his father, hotel magnate Brian, becomes fed up with his son's irresponsible ways, he issues an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father's influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to Brian's conniving associate, Eric.
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Billy Madison

Billy Madison

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Critics Consensus

Audiences who enjoy Adam Sandler's belligerent comic energy may find him in joyously obnoxious form as Billy Madison, but this thinly-plotted starring vehicle surrounds its star with an aggressively pedestrian movie.

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Critics Reviews

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Janet Maslin New York Times 03/31/2019
If you've ever had a yen to relive the third grade, this must be the next best thing. Go to Full Review
John Petrakis Chicago Tribune 03/31/2019
0.5/4
Billy Madison is a textbook example of a half-decent idea that never got developed beyond the "lying around drinking beer and making jokes with your buddy" stage. Go to Full Review
Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune 03/31/2019
1/4
The latest entry in the American cinema's investigation of dumb-and-dumber heroes. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Aug 11
2/4
Too many gags are set up and then abandoned. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Jul 29
2.5/5
Billy Madison hasn’t aged particularly well, from its problematic humor to its questionable plot dynamics, but it’s undeniably a product of its time. Go to Full Review
Allison Rose FlickDirect Jul 28
3.5/5
While not award-worthy, Billy Madison’s absurd humor and Sandler’s charm made it a cult favorite that kicked off his film career. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jack M @RT86985030 1h Great movie, funny. Good plot, good acting, good plot twists. 5 stars See more Colton Jun 13 SWEET JESUS now why in the hell is almost all the reviews hating on this film god damm Billy Madison is wonderful genuinely how are you hating this See more Rus S @Mr_Maybe Feb 27 How this movie ever became popular is beyond me, and when I see that people are giving it 5 stars, not only do I question the validity of these reviews, I have to question the intelligence of humanity. 12 year old me would have thought this was the dumbest movie in the world, but 54 year old me doesn't even think that highly of it. The humor is beyond juvenile, the premise is ridiculous, and to think a beautiful teacher would fall for someone who is so immature that they have to retake third grade (and still acts like it) is laughable - and not in the funny way. You have to have the sense of humor of a 10 year old to find Sandler's gibberish funny. Before you think I'm a Sandler hater, I actually think some of his movies are funny like Grown-ups and the Wedding Singer. This definitely ain't those. See more Charlie T @KIDCRITIC Dec 26 Watched Billy Madison this year. This is a funny movie. It is about a man who is trying to take over his fathers company but does not have a well respected intelligence and this guy is trying to take over the company but Billy has to go through 1-12 and before 2 weeks. The quality is good. The storytelling is nice and the acting is what you expect an Adam Sandler movie to be. Overall I would rate this movie 4.5 stars out of 5.0 stars. I thought it got a little dark at the end. My favorite scene is when he is playing dodgeball. I would recommend this to a friend. See more The Cursed Legion T @GAVINSISEMORE Dec 23 Good movie would recommend for Adam Sandler fans comedy doesn't appeal as much as it would in 95 but still a good entertaining watch. See more Tom F @RT55173143 Dec 12 A few good laughs, but the charms of Adam Sandler’s man-child comedies are largely lost on me. See more Read all reviews
Billy Madison

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Movie Info

Synopsis Man-child Billy Madison has been a spoiled rich kid all his life, and spends his days drinking and partying. When his father, hotel magnate Brian, becomes fed up with his son's irresponsible ways, he issues an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father's influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to Brian's conniving associate, Eric.
Director
Tamra Davis
Producer
Robert Simonds
Screenwriter
Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Robert Simonds Productions
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 10, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$25.6M
Runtime
1h 29m
Sound Mix
Surround