And Sandler desperately needs a plot, snappy dialogue, discernible acting talent and a sense of humor. There are none of these things on screen. What is amazing is that I can now suddenly appreciate The Jerky Boys. It's still terrible but, compared to Billy Madison, it's the Citizen Kane of doofus comedy. The only wonderful thing about Sandler is that he doesn't whip out his ukulele this time, especially after his whining serenades in the Steve Martin Christmas clunker, Mixed Nuts.
Silence is golden.
Sandler co-wrote Billy Madison with Tim Herlihy, his partner in crime for a decade. Sandler's Billy character is such a moron that his daddy doesn't want to give him the family hotel business. But Billy promises to straighten out and go back to school, vowing to start over at grade one and work his way up to graduation, two weeks per grade. We see him as bully, boor and brute. Oh, how hilarious, Sandler whips a murder ball at little boys' heads, butts and backs.