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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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    41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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    The Waterboy is a slide backward.

    Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jack Garner
    Jack Garner
    Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

    All wet!

    Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jackie Loohauis
    Jackie Loohauis
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    The Waterboy is arguably Sandler's most enjoyable motion picture to date, but it's still far from a masterpiece.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    All of Sandler's worst tendencies are on display for all the world to see.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jeff Vice
    Jeff Vice
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    It is one of the dumbest pieces of garbage Hollywood has put out this year!

    Full Review Source: Norman Transcript | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jim Chastain
    Jim Chastain
    Norman Transcript

    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!

    Uninspired, one-joke film gathers very little in momentum, is forgiven for its obviously standard plot, but not for its lack of constant humor or originality.

    Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    JoBlo
    JoBlo
    JoBlo's Movie Emporium

    Una película con la que uno puede pasarse 90 minutos entretenido pero nada más

    Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jorge Avila Andrade
    Jorge Avila Andrade
    Moviola

    You can lead Adam Sandler fans to "The Waterboy," but you can't make them think.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Julie Hinds
    Julie Hinds
    San Jose Mercury News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dehydrated!

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Madeleine Williams
    Madeleine Williams
    Cinematter

    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

    The trailer for 'The Waterboy' contains anything and everything from the film that might captivate an audience—the rest is just chafe.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael Atkinson
    Michael Atkinson
    Mr. Showbiz
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    For every chuckle-worthy gag, there's another that never gets off the ground.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael Dequina
    Michael Dequina
    TheMovieReport.com

    Formulaic!

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
    41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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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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