The Waterboy

PG-13

Released Nov 6, 1998

1h 28m

Comedy

List

33%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

71%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen (Kathy Bates), Bobby Boucher Jr. (Adam Sandler) is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed). When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein (Henry Winkler). After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

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Critics Consensus

This is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags.

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Andrew O'Hehir

Sight & Sound

A witless and utterly predictable comic fantasy about a misfit turned hero.

Jun 18, 2012

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Really dumb, but many teens love it anyway.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 29, 2010

Full Review

Glenn Lovell

Variety

The formulaic mix of mirth and mayhem is aimed way down the MTV food chain...

Jun 2, 2008

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

This juvenile, unnecessary, and utterly pathetic madness can barely be considered a comedy; the jokes are so immature and flat that it more closely resembles a tragedy.

Rated: 2/10

Sep 25, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

An agreeable yet forgettable comedy...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 10, 2010

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

There's an innocence to The Waterboy that makes the picture part slapstick and part fairy tale...The only problem with letting kids see this Adam Sandler movie? They might want to see another one. [Blu-ray]

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 12, 2009

Full Review

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Dale R

This Touchstone pictures release stars Adam Sandler as a social outcast with a stutter that uses his anger issues to become a college football star. This movie was written by Adam Sandler for Adam Sandler, so his style of humor is all over the place. That kind of humor works for me some of the time and this movie is one of those times. The performances are great, especially Kathy Bates who plays Sandler’s character’s mother. This movie has many quotable lines that makes it rewatchable. If you like Adam Sandler, then this movie is worth your time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

ed m

Imagine a bad SNL skit stretched out to 90 minutes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/09/24

Full Review

David F

Kind of a dumb comedy but with a certain charm.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/24

Full Review

josh b

Very underrated film one of Adam Sandlers best acting roles.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/18/24

Full Review

Daniel S

Great movie and critics are tards.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Austin W

I don't understand why the tomatometer is so low on this movie. This movie is great and funny. Even though it's kind of stupid, it's so funny and entertaining to watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/24

Full Review

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Frank Coraci

Director

Adam Sandler

Bobby Boucher

Kathy Bates

Helen 'Mama' Boucher

Henry Winkler

Coach Klein

Fairuza Balk

Vicki Vallencourt

Jerry Reed

Coach Red Beaulieu

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Synopsis

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen (Kathy Bates), Bobby Boucher Jr. (Adam Sandler) is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed). When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein (Henry Winkler). After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

Director: Frank Coraci
Producer: Jack Giarraputo, Robert Simonds
Screenwriter: Tim Herlihy, Allen Pasqua, Adam Sandler
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Waterboy Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $161.5M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS

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