The Waterboy
PG-13
1998
Comedy · Breezy 90 minutes that flies by with relentless gags.
Divisive comedy disappointment
6.2/10
IMDb
32%
Rotten
41
41/100
Metacritic
🎬
6.0/10
TMDB
The brief
The Waterboy finds Adam Sandler at peak goofiness, playing his mama's boy character with such committed absurdity that it somehow works despite itself. The football scenes have genuine energy and Kathy Bates goes full throttle as his overprotective mother, but the humor is aggressively silly - think baby talk voices and slapstick tackles for 90 straight minutes. It's relentlessly dumb in a way that either clicks completely or grates like nails on a chalkboard. Perfect for anyone who thinks Billy Madison is comedy gold and wants more of that specific brand of Sandler chaos.
aggressively silly
mama's boy comedy
slapstick sports
committed absurdity
90s goofball
baby talk humor
The verdict
If you have a high tolerance for aggressively silly humor and love Adam Sandler's mama's boy shtick at full volume, this delivers 90 minutes of committed absurdity with genuine football energy. If you find baby talk voices and relentless slapstick more annoying than funny, this will grate like nails on a chalkboard.
Watch with
- 👥 Friends who love dumb comedies
- 👨👩👧👦 Family movie night (kids will laugh)
- ⚠️ Skip if you hate Sandler's voice work
Heads up
- Slapstick football violence and bone-crushing tackles (frequent)
- Crude humor and some sexual references (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Frank Coraci
- Cast
- Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark
Official synopsis
Bobby Boucher is a water boy for a struggling college football team. The coach discovers Boucher's hidden rage
