The WaterboyI've never found Adam Sandler funny, personally. I think his films are more directed towards the pre-teen crowd (and why young adults find them funny is beyond me). Well, I used to think that. That was before he came out with The Wedding Singer, a charming and funny love story with Sandler and co-star Drew Barrymore (who, frankly, made the film what it was). What made it so good was the normality of its lead character, surprisingly well played by Sandler. He let the co-stars bask in the glory of the comedy, while he sat back and commented on things. That's not to say he wasn't funny himself, but his toned-down attitude was a joy to behold.
Well, folks, now he's back to doing what made him famous. I'll admit it: I laughed during the previews. I thought they were extremely funny. But here is an example of the trailer containing most of the humorous moments and leaving boring and contrived plot for the rest. Does it matter, though? Not really. Neither does my opinion, because I dislike Sandler, and your average movie-going audience loves him. Nevertheless, I feel it necessary to express my opinion of why I don't like Sandler.
One, he's not much of an actor. He's more like a kid play-acting for his kid friends (sorry if that offends anyone). THE WATERBOY is a vast improvement over Happy Gilmore and the God-awful Billy Madison (which made my worst list of 1995), and Sandler does show a gleam of the talent he let loose in The Wedding Singer. But he's the film's second worst character (only beaten out by the terribly unfunny Rob Schneider). Notice I said character, not actor. Sandler does his very best to make this character come to life, and I respect him for doing that. But the writing let him down with a strangely unlikable lead hero.
Two, his voice. This one is the supreme motherload of my complaint, so it won't get worse than this. Sandler's voice can be more annoying than nails scratching a blackboard. It can be more irritating than two young children bickering over some toy. It can even be more disturbing than the sound of your parents in bed. He proved it with Billy Madison and then solidified it with Happy Gilmore. And to the surprise of me (and virtually every other Sandler-hater), he came back with a down-to-earth, whimsical character in The Wedding Singer. Isn't it strange that his best role is when he doesn't go over-the-top?
THE WATERBOY begins with a setup that promises nothing. The waterboy of the Cougars, Bobby Boucher (Sandler), loves his job. But one day, he gets fired from his job for disrupting the team during a practice. Confused and alone, he rides home on his makeshift lawnmower/car. He receives comfort from his Mama (Kathy Bates), who adores her son... so much so that she won't even let him get a good education from a school. "I invented electricity, not Benjamin Franklin!" she shouts. He decides to find another waterboy job, offering his services free of charge. He finds one at a local Louisiana college. Appropriately, their mascot is the Mud Dogs, and their football team is at the bottom of the ranks. You got it... this isn't an original plot.
Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) is insane. He suffered a mental breakdown earlier in his career, and now he is trying desperately for his team just to win one game. Klein watches as Boucher gets picked on by the team, and he suggests that he fight back. Having been taught never to raise a finger against a team member, Boucher doesn't know what to think. But during one angry rush of adrenaline, he pulverizes the quarterback of the team. This comes to that, and Boucher is asked to join the team. Unfortunately, he's not a college student, and he must enroll against his mother's wishes.
And there's the basic plot. You've seen it before. In fact, if you saw Rudy, the 1993 film starring Sean Astin, you know exactly what happens and when it will happen. In the final game between good and evil, it's so obvious who wins that it doesn't seem worth the time. So what must occur to make the film enjoyable lies in the details. Certainly the waterboy becoming a big star is original, but the truest comedic forms come during moments off the field. After one tackle, we laugh hysterically. After two, we laugh. After a few more, we beg for something different. Smartly, the film does give us something.
A subplot involving a relationship between Boucher and Vicki Vallencourt (Fairuza Balk, well-known for the extremely underrated The Craft), an ex-prisoner just released. Long time friends, Vallencourt shows up, flaunting her body and praising Boucher's college football tactics. But more importantly, she teaches Boucher about manhood and how to defend himself against other people without tackling them. Not that it always works. In one hilarious scene, a biology teacher (who looks uncannily like Colonel Sanders) offends Boucher, and he gets taken down, leaving him with a broken arm and black-and-blue eyes. Mr. Sanders goes through a lot of trauma in the film, and it's always funny. Also funny is the twist on Misery, as Kathy Bates morphs into her Annie persona one more time. She has some truly audacious and uproarious moments. The best involves a debate between Vallencourt and Mama, as the two of them fight over fried snakes. You have to see it to understand.
Director Frank Coraci helmed the delightful The Wedding Singer, and his visual style is surprisingly effective. Using nice Steadicam shots that make the football scenes easy to watch and comprehend, Coraci makes all the visual gags inventive and fun, while the special effects are top-notch (mostly because they are all surrealistic). Tim Herlihy and Sandler both share writing credits, and it's not hard to see where Sandler's contributions are. The cinematography is above-par for this type of a film, and the low-budget is never really visible on screen.
THE WATERBOY is rated PG-13 for language, some crude sexual humor, and violence. If you could stand The Wedding Singer, you will be able to make it through this one without too much pain. The cast makes it all worth while, as The Fonz (aka Winkler, hot off from his Screamin' success), Jerry Reed, and Blake Clark gives funny performances (especially Winkler, who has some of the funniest dialogue this year). But it's Sandler's vehicle, and he runs with it. Unfortunately, if it weren't for the supporting cast, this film would be dead in the water (so to speak).