The Waterboy

Play trailer

The Waterboy

PG-13

1998

1h 28m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu. When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein. After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Andrew O'Hehir

Sight & Sound

06/18/2012

A witless and utterly predictable comic fantasy about a misfit turned hero.

Go to Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/29/2010

1/5

Really dumb, but many teens love it anyway.

Go to Full Review

Glenn Lovell

Variety

06/02/2008

The formulaic mix of mirth and mayhem is aimed way down the MTV food chain...

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

09/25/2020

2/10

This juvenile, unnecessary, and utterly pathetic madness can barely be considered a comedy; the jokes are so immature and flat that it more closely resembles a tragedy.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

07/10/2010

2.5/4

An agreeable yet forgettable comedy...

Go to Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

08/12/2009

2.5/4

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]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Dennis G

@MunchinBooty Apr 26

Classic Adam Sandler. Awesome movie. Seen it a hundred times.

See more

william R

@dodgers2win Apr 25

The movie was more entertaining than anything released in 2026 so far

See more

Zac H.

@RT23725957 Apr 20

I love this movie and I like how Bobby knocked out the football players out Cole and visualizes the players as other people I really love this movie. 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

See more

Ed R

@JustcallmeER Apr 8

A classic nostalgic Adam Sandler movie filled with laughs the entire way through.

See more

Joel C

@Joelcas1613 Mar 1

Pretty good film, funny, good premise (even though it's a bit cliche), and a great third act. Give it a watch, 3 stars. God bless.

See more

timulo D

@timulo Feb 13

This film is too good for these humourless, snotty, out of touch activist-reviewers. Screw em, nobody needs professional reviewers anymore, they killed their own industry.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Frank Coraci

Director

Adam Sandler

Bobby Boucher

Kathy Bates

Helen 'Mama' Boucher

Henry Winkler

Coach Klein

Fairuza Balk

Vicki Vallencourt

Jerry Reed

Coach Red Beaulieu

Renaissance Man

13%

53%

Renaissance Man

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Renaissance Man

Krippendorf's Tribe

17%

24%

Krippendorf's Tribe

Watchlist

The Crew

20%

34%

The Crew

Watchlist

Noises Off

61%

84%

Noises Off

Watchlist

Can't Buy Me Love

48%

74%

Can't Buy Me Love

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu. When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein. After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

Director: Frank Coraci
Producer: Jack Giarraputo, Robert Simonds
Screenwriter: Tim Herlihy, Allen Pasqua, Adam Sandler
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Waterboy Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $161.5M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS