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Movies / On DVD / The Waterboy
The Waterboy

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The Waterboy (1998)

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Reviews Counted:71

Fresh:22

Rotten:49

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: This is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Adam Sandler is charming and disarming as he dusts off and mashes together his beloved SNL charcters Cajun Man and Canteen Boy to create Bobby Boucher, the sweet-tempered, simple-minded, bayou... Adam Sandler is charming and disarming as he dusts off and mashes together his beloved SNL charcters Cajun Man and Canteen Boy to create Bobby Boucher, the sweet-tempered, simple-minded, bayou man-child who relishes his job of eighteen years as the much-abused waterboy for the local "good" (well-funded but nasty of spirit) university's football team. True to the appropriate cine-formula, there is also a nearby "bad" (under-funded but generous of spirit) university where Bobby seeks tenure after finally being driven away from his long-time place of employment by the relentless cruelty of those whom he seeks only to refresh and hydrate. It is under the kindly tutelage of the "lesser" university's down-and-out football coach (Henry Winkler phones it in, but warmly) that Bobby realizes his unusual athletic prowess and develops some basic people skills. Kathy Bates has an enormous amount of fun, and is a laugh riot, as Bobby's earthy, over-protective, swamp-shack-dwelling mom; and Fairuza Balk is accessibly luscious in a Daisy Mae turn as Bobby's resourceful, tomboyish, creole-cutie sweetheart. Deadpan delivery, satisfying sight gags, and "elbow-your-neighbor-and-point-at-the-screen" cameos make this an attractive option for fans of the genre. [More]

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Larry Gilliard, Blake Clark, Rob Schneider, Clint Howard

Director: Frank Coraci

Director: Frank Coraci
Screenwriter: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Producer: Jack Giarraputo, Robert Simonds
Composer: Alan Pasqua

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Mar 16, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Waterboy
  • America's favorite wild and zany funnyman, Adam Sandler (50 FIRST DATES, MR. DEEDS, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE), scores big laughs in a smash comedy hit where the laughs never run dry! Just an oddball mama's boy from the back bayous of Louisiana, Bobby Boucher (Sandler) never wanted anything more than to quench the thirst of the dehydrated athletes who treat him like dirt! But when Coach Klein (Henry Winkler -- HOLES, TV's HAPPY DAYS) makes the call that allows Bobby to finally stand up for himself, it unleashes a torrent of bottled-up frustration ... and exposes a talent for tackling that transforms him from a meek "water distribution engineer" into the hardest hitter ever to roam the gridiron! Also featuring award-winning Kathy Bates (ABOUT SCHMIDT, TITANIC, MISERY) and sexy Fairuza Balk (ALMOST FAMOUS, RETURN TO OZ) in a hilarious cast of stars -- here's your chance to join the millions everywhere who've proudly stood and cheered for The Waterboy!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Waterboy

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    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    Adam Sandler has made predictable movies with worn out plots an artform.

    Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Alex Sandell
    Alex Sandell
    Juicy Cerebellum

    A damned funny movie!

    Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Andrew Manning
    Andrew Manning
    Radio Free Entertainment

    It's definitely for the fans!

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Bob Fenster
    Bob Fenster
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Sandler has proven himself a worthy alchemist with The Waterboy, transforming swamp water to Evian. Quite a refreshing if moronic romp. Sandler rocks!

    Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Elias Savada
    Elias Savada
    Nitrate Online

    Charming!

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Gary Thompson
    Gary Thompson
    Philadelphia Daily News

    This one really IS moronic enough to be entertaining!

    Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Harvey S. Karten
    Harvey S. Karten
    Compuserve

    art it ain't, but 'The Waterboy' is pure, undiluted Sandler, in the kind of role only he could pull off. The movie also owes much of its success to divinely hammy Kathy Bates and the spooky-sexy Fairuza Balk

    Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Sanford
    James Sanford
    Kalamazoo Gazette

    This escapist comedy is so cheerfully outlandish that it's hard to resist, and so good-hearted that it's genuinely endearing.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The film is amiably goofy.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/21/05
    Jeff Millar
    Jeff Millar
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Sandler proves yet again that the comedic buffoon character is an effective cinematic tool for tickling the funny bone.

    Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jim Judy
    Jim Judy
    Screen It!

    As a satire on the only true religion of the American South -- football -- The Waterboy is delightful.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    07/12/02
    John Haslett Cuff
    John Haslett Cuff
    Globe and Mail

    Sandler proved last year that he can be believable as a real person, but if he insists on playing overblown caricatures, he may not get many more chances.

    Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
    02/08/03
    John R. McEwen
    John R. McEwen
    Film Quips Online

    It ain't really thought provoking, but you can't deny it's terrific entertainment.

    Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
    09/10/02
    Kevin N. Laforest
    Kevin N. Laforest
    Montreal Film Journal

    Good and dumb, in equal measure!

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Maitland McDonagh
    Maitland McDonagh
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    A mildly amusing bayou farce with plenty of 'foosball' action to liven the sometimes plodding proceedings.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Marc Savlov
    Marc Savlov
    Austin Chronicle

    Dumb as his movies may be, Sandler can always make me laugh.

    Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Marty Mapes
    Marty Mapes
    Movie Habit

    It's surprisingly refreshing to watch Sandler make a fool out of himself.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Matt Lawrence
    Matt Lawrence
    Filmcritic.com

    There's an innocence to The Waterboy that makes the picture part slapstick and part fairy tale...The only problem with letting kids see this Adam Sandler movie? They might want to see another one. [Blu-ray]

    Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
    08/12/09
    Peter Canavese
    Peter Canavese
    Groucho Reviews

    The Waterboy is scrappy and funny and achieves its modest aim, which is to make us laugh like grade-schoolers. The doofus boy triumphs again.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    07/23/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    It's a piece of comic fluff that has lots of laughs and appeals to the kid in us all.

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    04/09/05
    Robin Clifford
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    Latest News for The Waterboy

    September 03, 2008: Jerry Reed: 1937-2008 Opens in new window
    Jerry Reed, the musician and actor who appeared in such films as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "The Waterboy," has passed away due to complications from emphysema. He was 71. More...

    June 25, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: Sandler Fast Forwards to #1
    Moviegoers grabbed their remote controls and flocked to the multiplexes this weekend to see Adam Sandler's latest comedy Click which became the comedian's eighth number one hit... More...

    June 22, 2006: Box Office Preview: Sandler "Clicks" With New Comedy
    Although Father's Day has passed, Hollywood brings out two very different stories about dads and their wacky adventures this weekend with Adam Sandler's comedy Click and Tyrese... More...

    December 23, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Click
    Thanks to all sorts of annoying glitches and browser-bumbling, I cannot personally guarantee that you'll find the all-new trailer for Adam Sandler's "Click" over at... More...

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