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The Waterboy

  • 1998
  • PG-13
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
189K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,074
404
Adam Sandler in The Waterboy (1998)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:08
1 Video
99+ Photos
FootballSlapstickComedySport

A waterboy for a college football team discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.A waterboy for a college football team discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.A waterboy for a college football team discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.

  • Director
    • Frank Coraci
  • Writers
    • Tim Herlihy
    • Adam Sandler
  • Stars
    • Adam Sandler
    • Kathy Bates
    • Henry Winkler
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    189K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,074
    404
    • Director
      • Frank Coraci
    • Writers
      • Tim Herlihy
      • Adam Sandler
    • Stars
      • Adam Sandler
      • Kathy Bates
      • Henry Winkler
    • 389User reviews
    • 90Critic reviews
    • 41Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:08
    Official Trailer

    Photos125

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    + 119
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    Top Cast93

    Edit
    Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler
    • Bobby Boucher
    Kathy Bates
    Kathy Bates
    • Mama Boucher
    Henry Winkler
    Henry Winkler
    • Coach Klein
    Fairuza Balk
    Fairuza Balk
    • Vicki Vallencourt
    Jerry Reed
    Jerry Reed
    • Red Beaulieu
    Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
    Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
    • Derek Wallace
    • (as Larry Gilliard Jr.)
    Blake Clark
    Blake Clark
    • Farmer Fran
    Peter Dante
    Peter Dante
    • Gee Grenouille
    Jonathan Loughran
    Jonathan Loughran
    • Lyle Robideaux
    Al Whiting
    Al Whiting
    • Casey Bugge
    Clint Howard
    Clint Howard
    • Paco
    Allen Covert
    Allen Covert
    • Walter
    Rob Schneider
    Rob Schneider
    • Townie
    Todd Holland
    • Greg Meaney
    Robert Kokol
    • Professor
    Frank Coraci
    Frank Coraci
    • Roberto
    Jennifer Taylor
    Jennifer Taylor
    • Rita
    • (as Jennifer Bini Taylor)
    James Bates Jr.
    • West Mississippi Lineman
    • (as James Bates)
    • Director
      • Frank Coraci
    • Writers
      • Tim Herlihy
      • Adam Sandler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews389

    6.2189.4K
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    Featured reviews

    7TheLittleSongbird

    The plot is admittedly slow, but the film is somewhat endearing

    I do agree the story takes a long time to develop, the script at times is not great(too many dumb moments) and the pacing is uneven, but The Waterboy is actually somewhat endearing. And it has Adam Sandler in it, an actor I don't care for, but he was surprisingly amusing here. I do think though that Kathy Bates(ever the pro)as the Cajun mum and Henry Winkler as the bewildered coach gave much better performances. The film does look striking, with nice cinematography and scenery, and the soundtrack is nice. The sports sequences are lovingly done, and the direction is efficient enough. Overall, it isn't groundbreaking, but it is an endearing and amusing film. 7/10 Bethany Cox
    6Quinoa1984

    Sandler's best since Billy Madison

    I really liked the Waterboy. It was crude, raw, and utterly funny. Adam Sandler gives his funniest yet since his 1995 cult hit Billy Madison. In this feel good movie, Sandler plays a dumb waterboy who gets on a football team and becomes a damn good tackler. Everything in this film is funny, from beginning to end. Henry Winkler has his best in years as a down on his luck coach and Kathy Bates is Dead Pan funny as mama. Great all around. A+
    8dobbin-4

    The Waterboy is one of Adam Sandlers best comedy films.

    Now I am a huge fan of Adam Sandlers dumb-ass films but I think that is why people have let him a have a career so long. They just love his dumb-ass movies. The movie centres around the local water boy who when the coach of the football team notices he can tackle hard when mad he puts him as the new quarterback of tackeler guy sorry I am Australian. The movie is good on many pointers as it shows that Adam Sandler can play 2 different types of dumb guys, nice dumb and guys and mean dumb guys. If you have not already seen this you should take some time to seat down and enjoy the movie. Overall this movie is a fun excuse to seat down and dumb out but I can see why people would not like this film. I rate this film 83%.
    9ccthemovieman-1

    Revenge Of The Cajun Nerd

    I have to admit: this Adam Sandler no-brainer is hilarious, just had me laughing right from the start. I'd rank it in my top ten funny movies of my collection and it features one of my favorite characters in film: Bobby Boucher Jr., a heckuva lot nicer guy than Sandler's "Happy Gilmore."

    "Bobby" is about as innocent and a gentle-natured a guy as you'll find this side of Forrest Gump. You can't help but root for him, and that's the idea. What the film basically involves is another "Revenge Of The Nerds" theme except it's "nerd "- singular - as the picked-on waterboy turning the tables on the football jocks. Interesting to once again see Jerry Reed, whom I haven't seen much of since his days in "Smokey And The Bandit." He has much fatter face but everything else looked the same. Then there is Henry Winkler, "The Fonz" who now is the opposite: a guy with a terrible inferiority complex. All the characters in here are wildly exaggerated.

    This cartoon-like comedy may not be high-brow, but so what? It's not totally low- brow either, but I do wonder why modern filmmakers cannot seem to make a comedy without all the sex references and the profanity. Nonetheless, Sandler's Cajun accent, his strange-looking-but pretty girlfriend (Fairuza Balk) and crazy mother (Kathy Bates, in the funniest role she's ever played) are all great fun to watch.

    It's silly, particularly the ridiculous climactic football game, but then this movie is hardly to be taken seriously. It's all absurd humor, and 90 minutes was just right amount of time for it.
    MovieAddict2016

    The Funnyboy.

    Amusing but typical Adam Sandler vehicle about a water boy for a football team who has the amazing ability to get extremely mad and violent (picture Sandler as the Incredible Hulk). When a football coach (Henry Winkler, a.k.a. The Fonz) sees Sandler's amazing talent, he gets him on his football team...much to the dissaproval of his overcontrolling mother (Kathy Bates).

    A lightweight comedy handled with playfulness. "The Waterboy" scores big points for laughs. If you want an hour and a half of fun, see this movie!

    3.5/5 stars -

    John Ulmer

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    Related interests

    Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans (2000)
    Football
    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in Moneyball (2011)
    Sport

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Kathy Bates was convinced to take the role of Helen "Mama" Boucher by her niece, a longtime fan of Adam Sandler.
    • Goofs
      Louisiana's local law enforcement is shown wearing uniforms that say "County Sheriff". Louisiana doesn't have counties; it has parishes.
    • Quotes

      Bobby Boucher: My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.

    • Alternate versions
      In the theatrical version, the note Bobby gets early in the film reads "eat shit and kill yourself." For edited-for-TV versions the note reads "I hope you choke on your dandruff."
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Living Out Loud/Unmade Beds/American History X/John Carpenter's Vampires/The Celebration (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Born on the Bayou
      Written by John Fogerty

      Performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

      Courtesy of Fantasy Inc.

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 6, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cầu Thủ Xách Nước
    • Filming locations
      • Stetson University - 421 N. Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, Florida, USA(Inside and outside shots)
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Jack Giarraputo Productions
      • Robert Simonds Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $23,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $161,491,646
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $39,414,071
      • Nov 8, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $185,991,646
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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