A Sandler Cult Classic

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2018)

An unknown force lurked in my house for years. Forgot and shoved out of sight, the DVD was in my house for the longest time. I never knew of its existence. My dad must of bought the DVD when it originally came out in 1998. One fateful night would change that all. My friends wanted to come over and watch a late night movie. One of their eyes lasered a busted and dusty DVD cover on the bottom of a the stack of old movies. He held it to the light, and he immediately begged us all to play the movie. I inserted the disc into the disc reader and pressed the play button.
My experience watching the movie The Waterboy by Frank Coraci was vivid and memorable. Many critics complain that the movie uses humor to the lowest level like fart jokes or slapstick comedy. However, the film is able to piece these jokes perfectly to create masterpiece of cinema. The golden acting, solid punchlines, and visual movements in the film brought down to my knees. The Waterboy is a great cinematic experience for all audiences because the film maximizes its character synergy and dialogue while maintaining a good standard of comedy.
The film utilities character interaction in a professional manner. The star of the film is Bobby Boucher, who is played by world renowned comedian actor Adam Sandler. By himself, the main character Bobby is honestly pretty flat and weak (most haters use this as a point). Bobby's main contributions to the film are his stutters and retardation. However, each supporting character brings a new warmth in personality that complements Bobby and inadvertently the entire movie. An example of this is between Bobby and his southern mother Helen. Helen is flawed character, like her son, as she is overprotective of her only son. When they are on screen together, the true genuine moments of the film shine. There is a scene where Bobby consults with his mother while she is sick-stricken in bed. This is a climax in the film, and Bobby decides to play in the Bowl game against his mother's wishes. The entire town rushes to support Bobby's side, and overwhelmed by the love her son is receiving, Helen confesses her fake sickness. This is a really heartwarming scene that teaches the moral lesson of honesty and trust. These scenes are spread throughout to teach valuable lessons to the viewers.
The jokes are crud in nature but reflect well while watching. Most films deliver jokes in an unconventional portion of the film to surprise the audience. However, The Waterboy literally makes the entire film a well executable joke. There is no beating around the bush; these jokes are raw in form. The most infamous joke in the film occurred while Bobby was attending a Biology class. The professor criticizes Bobby's informal education from his mother as being baseless. Bobby, a non-academic type, refutes the professor's claim by addressing him as colonel Sanders, the famous face of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The professor has a round figure and a curly, white mustache that matches the colonel. There are plenty of hidden gems spread throughout the film that include cultural references and good honest slapstick humor. This uniqueness places the movie above other comedic films.
The acting in the film creates characters that are real and emotional. Adam Sandler plays a genuine role. His ineptitude and struggles are believable through Sandler's presteen acting skills. He was presented the Blockbuster favorite actor award for comedy due in part to this movie. Even the supporting cast had illustrious acting careers and achievement. For example, the sad and incompetent coach Klein who has a character arc of his own. He was played by two time Golden Globe winner Henry Winkler. The execution for each line is so well done that the movie was able to absorb all of my attention. The director, Frank Coraci, is credited for films like The Wedding Singer or The Ridiculous 6. These group of stars places The Waterboy among the greats.
One can find amazing acting, storytelling, and comedy in The Waterboy. This movie is underrated, and is sadly considered a mediocre appearance by Sandler. I believe this movie has become a cult classic in recent years. I encourage a re-watch of this forgotten film, to embrace the nostalgia or experience a life-altering film for the first time. No other comedy movie can compete with the package that this film punches.