The Waterboy

Director: Frank Coraci
Cast:
Adam Sandler
Kathy Bates
Fairuza Balk
Jerry Reed
Henry Winkler
Genre: Comedy

At least with Adam Sandler you know where you stand. If you discount "The Wedding Singer," where he played someone irrevocably sweet, his movies have all been a trip to the back of the class in 6th grade potty humor. And I always loved it; I mean, when he wets his pants in "Billy Madison," I thought it was one of the greatest moments in '90s moviemaking.

But when you take away his I.Q., you take away the best part about Sandler's schtick, and the results can be disastrous. Here he stars as Bobby Boucher, a quasi-retarded sociopath who has no friends, drives a tractor on the freeway and has dedicated his life to the pursuit of the perfect glass of water. Acting as waterboy for the local university, the football players make sure his suffering is interminable. When rival coach Henry Winkler (who looks nothing like the Fonz anymore, but hey, he was in his 30s then) watches him tackle a particularly vicious football meanie in a fit of rage, Bobby is let on the team—and natch, becomes a superstar.

You've probably seen all the best jokes in the trailer, and though those are pretty good, it's certainly two hours poorly spent. Kathy Bates is SLUMMING here as Bobby's mother, and it is my personal opinion that Fairuza Balk should go back to being a telemarketer, or whatever the hell she was before someone told her she could act. Only for the Sandler purists—and I know you're out there—"The Waterboy" is a dummy's disappointment.

—Ian Williams

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