The Waterboy (1998)

Starring - Adam Sandler; Kathy Bates; Henry Winkler; Fairuza Balk & Jerry Reed Director - Frank Coraci MPAA - Rated PG-13 for language and some crude sexual humor. I still can't figure out why people went in droves to see this movie. Now before you go assuming I'm some sort of high brow snob, who can't appreciate a little dumb humor, let me say that I love cheap humor. I thought There's Something About Mary was one of the funniest films that I have ever seen and it was certainly one of the best films of 1998. Low brow adolescent humor can be a lot of fun, the problem with The Waterboy is that it is just low brow and adolescent, there is no humor component. I wanted to like The Waterboy, I really did. I think I only laughed maybe 2 or 3 times throughout the entire movie. Actually, I smiled a couple of more times on top of that. Not a great record for a 90-minute film. The problem with The Waterboy is the same as most other Adam Sandler movies. Those responsible for this mess seem to think that the sheer fact that Sandler walks around using a goofy voice and playing dumb the entire movie is a substitute for actual funny material. Nothing could be further from the truth, as matter of fact, Sandler's idiot voice started to get on my nerves at points in this film. It's really a shame too, because this film had the potential to be very funny. I personally believe that Sandler is probably a very talented comedian; it's just that so far he hasn't been able to find the right film to showcase his talents. If his only talent is making goofy voices and playing morons, my guess is that his career in the movies will go down the same road as the vast majority of the former stars of Saturday Night Live. Most of whom are now happily no longer in the entertainment industry. Sandler plays a 31-year-old, somewhat mentally challenged, waterboy for a college football team. The team's somewhat mentally disturbed coach (Henry Winkler) realizes that his waterboy has a great deal of pent-up rage, which, if harnessed properly, would make him a force to be reckoned with on the football field. You can figure out the rest from here. Sandler joins the team and this once lowly waterboy becomes a football star. As I said, the film had a great deal of potential. The idea was a decent one, but the main potential of this movie is a result of the cast. All of whom are very good, just hamstrung by really, really, lousy material. Even Sandler, annoying goofy voice and all, has enough charisma and natural comedic ability to overcome some of his bad material. Even as unfunny as his character is, I still found myself rooting for him throughout the film. But it is the supporting cast that I feel most badly about. If their material had been just a bit better, this film could have been such a funny movie. Fairuza Balk plays Sandler's leather-wearing biker-chick love interest and does a great job playing sleazy and sexy at the same time. Winkler is great as the coach who uses a "Coaching For Dummies"-style book to help him get through games. The real standout though, is Kathy Bates. Even with some of the worst material of her career to deal with, she is still a treat to watch in her role as Sandler's overprotective and overbearing Mama. Even with the performances of Bates and Winkler, there is absolutely no way I would recommend this movie. Although I get the distinct impression that without them, this film would have ranked in negative numbers for me. I can't really put my finger on a particular element of The Waterboy and single it out as the cause of this movie's failure. It's kind of sad, because it's obvious that those involved, specifically the actors, tried very hard to make what they thought was going to be a funny movie. It's just too bad that 99 percent of all of the jokes fell flat. 4/10 - 3 of which are for the performances of Winkler and Bates. Reviewed April 18, 1999 by Joe Chamberlain