Product Details

• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (312 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305268835
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,826 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Waterboy" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Adam Sandler vaulted into the $20-million-salary stratosphere with this, his second $100-million hit in 1998--a movie that further shows just how deeply embedded he is in the Jerry Lewis tradition of idiot comedy. He plays Bobby Boucher, a backwoods Cajun and a mentally challenged individual with a fixation on water: specifically, on serving the coolest, most refreshing H2O available to the college football team he has served since he was an adolescent. But when he's fired from his position, he takes up a similar job with a lowlier college team coached by neurotic Henry Winkler. One day at practice, Bobby loses his temper and delivers a bone-shaking tackle to the starting quarterback; before he can say, "blackened crawdads," he's the star of the team and leading it to a bowl game. But it's all against the wishes of his overprotective mother (Kathy Bates), who wants to keep her Bobby to herself--and that includes keeping him away from the floozy girlfriend (Fairuza Balk) who's sweet on him. There are two kinds of people in this world: People who find Sandler funny and people who view him as a neon-lit symbol of the decline of popular taste. You know who you are and, based on that, you can decide whether this is a movie for you. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TO THE "CRITICS" THAT INSULTED THE MOVIE..., July 15, 1999

By 

D. Lewis (Memphis, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Waterboy (DVD)

Personally, I loved this movie! Adam Sandler, Henry Wrinkler, and Kathy Bates were all fantastic! However, I do have a problem with other reviewers who insulted this film. It is not the film that I have a problem with you insulting, it is the people who watched the film and enjoyed it! I have read at least eight reviews with "critics" derogating the intelligence of an audience of people they do not even know because we enjoyed a movie they did not! Hint: Have you all ever heard of "variety" and "diversity"? If you didn't like the movie, fine. You have that right, I and many others, however; loved it!

I am not stupid or a "nitwit" as one viewer put it. I am simply an indiviual with an individual mind and opinion. I laughed because I thought it was funny...that does not make me stupid.

I (and I am sure many other viewers)don't analyze every single aspect of a movie and rule it the worst movie of all time simply because it didn't fit my criteria of what I am "suppose" to feel and what I am "suppose" to be thinking.

It was a good solid comedy that showed a different side of Henry Wrinkler and Kathy Bates that I was very impressed with. Also, I don't think this comedy was "empty" or "mindless". It offered some insights on life's philosophy's, but it just didn't do it in the traditional "movie" way.

Hats off to the entire cast of Waterboy especially the writers of it!

dllewis

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forrest Gump with passive aggression, August 26, 2006

By 

Jason (Funkytown) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Waterboy (DVD)

Waterboy is the story of a poor man's Forrest Gump who owes his dim-witted persona to the overprotective nature of his mother. Adam Sandler is at his silly, "stupid comedy" best playing Bobby Boucher, a Cajun recluse who has been a waterboy for one football team or another his entire life. After losing his job, he eventually catches on with another team where his life changes dramatically.

One day while perorming his waterboy duties, something he takes to ridiculously hilarious extremes, Bobby is abused by his new team. His precious water gets spit in, he gets tackled, and everyone of the players makes fun of him. With his old team, he had to endure the pain and ridicule without retaliation, but not with the new team.

A star is born.

Bobby eventually joins the team where he immediately, albeit inexplicably, becomes the starting linebacker. Despite his lack of football knowledge, he ends up becoming one of the greatest forces in college football history. He destroys everyone and everything on the opposing team, with highlight after highlight, using visualizations of all who have wronged him in the past to fuel his aggression.

Waterboy is highly enjoyable, with classic Sandler, and tons of either comedy or action to satisfy all needs. Henry Winkler is great in his role, bringing laughs whenever he's on-screen. Kathy Bates is great as the near-psychotic mother, a Col. Sanders lookalike who brings about easy comedy, and the cameos of Rob Schnieder and Clint Howard are subtle comedic genius.

I must warn all potential viewers. You may find yourself quoting several portions of the movie when finished, and quotes are FOR THE DEVIL!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Waterboy is LOL Funny, September 18, 2000

By 

"vassar2000" (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Waterboy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this movie because I thought it was going to be another tacky and tasteless movie by another "Saturday Night Live" alum. In "The WaterBoy", Adam Sandler is the "SNL" alum. However, I liked this movie and actually thought it was pretty funny. Adam Sandler plays Bobby Boucher, a dimwitted waterboy for the University of Louisiana's football team. Bobby Boucher lacks social skills and is always ridiculed and picked on by the football players. After having had enough of Bobby's stupidity, Coach Red fires him. Bobby Boucher immediately seeks another waterboy position and gets hired by Coach Klein (who heads South Central Louisiana State University's football team). Soon, this crazy coach puts Bobby on the team when he sees how powerful Bobby becomes when he gets angry ("tackling fuel" as Coach Klein puts it). Now that Bobby is on the team, he helps them move from last place to first place. He also gets the chance to go to college and improve his social skills with his new-found friends. This movie was good because Bobby Boucher was an inspiration to his fans, his teammates, and most importantly, to Coach Klein. Bobby inspires Coach Klein to stand up against his long-time arch-rival (Coach Red) who stole his treasured book of game plans in order to get the head football coach position at the University of Louisiana. Coach Klein finally stands up against Coach Red and regains his manhood. This movie was also good because it contained lots of funny supporting characters like Bobby's crazy, in-and-out of jail girlfriend Vicki Vallencourt, a coach that talked gibberish, Coach Klein (played by Harry Winkler), and Mama Boucher (played by Kathy Bates). Kathy Bates gave a terrific, comic performance as Bobby Boucher's overprotective, if psychotic, mother. Harry Winkler also gets honorable mention for giving a funny performance as the crazy and hallucinatory Coach Klein. Of course, kudos go to Adam Sandler for playing a character that was funny, lovable, and sympathetic. "The WaterBoy" was short and to the point and it managed to be funny without falling into the retarded or the grotesque.