The Waterboy (1998)

The Waterboy (1998)

 

4/10

Starring

Kathy Bates

Fairuza Balk

Jerry Reed

Henry Winkler

 

Directed by Frank Coraci

 

Adam Sandler’s cheap shot at a comedy sport movie in the 90s is very annoying, sad not well written and in so ways an insult to the viewer.

I think at one time even if we don’t want to admit it, there was a place for the kind of comedy that Adam Sandler did in the 90s for this movie, The Waterboy. I do not think the woke crowd of today can handle the idea of a character who is being teased day in and out for being slow, obscure, and generally not present. Then add the violence that followed this character. Some violent acts were done to him, and he was a raging bull enacting violence on others too. The fact that this movie was a huge box office success further proves my point, that there was a market for this kind of movie back then and I even bet now. The movie made more than ten times its production cost.

Seeing this movie now that I have seen better comedies, well written and well-crafted, this movie is not going to be one of those fun memories of my childhood. I did not enjoy it now as much as I did when I was thirteen and I thought the violence was funny. Now the comedy looked lazy with cheap gags and a plot that seem to draw inspiration from no-where aiming at not leaving any impression at all.

The movie plot is about Bobby Boucher (Sandler) a socially inept, stuttering mentally challenged man who could only get work as a water boy on a university football team. He lives with his overprotective and looney mother, who says everything she does not like is from the devil.

Bobby was a regular victim of bullying and the coach of the university football team fired Bobby, for being a joke. Bobby then approaches the coach of another university football team, Klein for a job as their water boy and got hired. There when he was being bullied and picked on, Klein asked him to standup for himself and Bobby took the message to heart and tackled a player. Klein was shocked by this rage but loved the tackle and saw potential in Bobby as a linebacker.

Bobby’s mother would not let Bobby play so he and the coach would have Bobby play and come up with the most ridiculous lies for his injuries when he gets home.

I cannot suggest this movie to anyone, it is one of those oldies that should just stay in the past and not peep into the present.