I think that I'm just a sucker for movies about the nice guy who isn't very bright. My favorite movies include "Rocky," "Forrest Gump," and "Rain Man," all about the dumb nice guy. I also have a soft spot for movies about the guy/girl who gets picked on getting his/her revenge. Adam Sandler, despite his inability to act, had me sympathize with his character, as well as root for him, even when I was laughing at him.
Along with Sandler is his co-star, Fairuza Balk, as his love interest. She's well-known for playing freaky characters (in movies like "The Craft," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," and just before "The Waterboy," "American History X"), and here she plays yet another one. Still, it's what she's good at, and in this one, she gets to be really likable. Actually, I probably liked her character the most. She's such a contradiction, but it's not obvious and pointed out (like with the pseudo-intellectual rebel guy in "The Faculty," a movie I liked despite it's flaws). Also, Kathy Bates shines (as she's prone to doing) as the overbearing mother of Sandler's character. Henry Winkler is funny as the "good" football coach, Jerry Reed is perfect as the "bad" football coach, and Larry Gilliard, Jr. was great as "Derek," the only one (aside from Fairuza Balk's character) who liked Sandler's character for who he was, not just for what he did. Also, there's a great cameo from two coaches from the NFL. Oh, by the way, every moment that Blake Clark is onscreen as "Farmer Fran" will keep you in stitches.
"The Waterboy" was written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy. They also wrote "Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," and "The Wedding Singer" together. I'll give them credit, they don't write classics, but they know how to make an audience laugh. Frank Coraci, who directed Sandler in "The Wedding Singer," also directed this movie, and he did an excellent job. The movie was very well-paced, and even though he's not known to be a visual stylist, the football hits were great (which I didn't get nearly as much of as I woulda liked from Robert Rodriguez in "The Faculty," which makes this my second unnecessary comparison to "The Faculty").
Cajuns may
get offended by this movie, because they're made fun of beginning to end.
Well, they've had it easy up till now, so that's okay. Anyway, check out
"The Waterboy." It's not "Masterpiece Theater," but you'll do a lotta laughing.