The Waterboy is a 1998 American
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by
Frank CoraciFrank Coraci is an American film director and screenwriter best known for his work with Adam Sandler.Coraci was born in Shirley, New York. Coraci graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988. He has directed three of Sandler's hit films as well as several of Sandler's...
. It stars
Adam SandlerAdam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
alongside
Henry WinklerHenry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
,
Kathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
,
Jerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
, and
Fairuza BalkFairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz...
.
Lynn Swann-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
,
Lawrence TaylorLawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
,
Jimmy JohnsonJames William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
,
Bill CowherWilliam Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
,
Paul WightPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, and
Rob SchneiderRobert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
have cameos. Sandler produced the movie and co-wrote the script with
Tim HerlihyTim Herlihy is an American screen actor, film producer, screenwriter, and Broadway show author.Herlihy was born in Brooklyn, New York and is a graduate of the New York University School of Law. He frequently collaborates with Adam Sandler...
.
The movie was extremely profitable, earning over one hundred and eleven million dollars in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alone and made Sandler a successful actor with
The Waterboy becoming his second $100 million film in a year, along with
The Wedding SingerThe Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love....
.
Sandler's character, Bobby Boucher , bears a strong resemblance to his "The Excited Southerner" comedic skits from his album "
What the Hell Happened to Me?What the Hell Happened to Me? is a 1996 comedy album by Adam Sandler. It contains the official recording of "The Chanukah Song" , which has become a holiday staple and one of the best-known works by Sandler. The song hit #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #25 on the US Modern Rock charts. The album...
" The portrayal is one of a stereotypical
CajunCajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
from the
bayouA bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
s of South Louisiana, not the typical stereotype of a Southerner. He also shares similarities in speech and mannerism to
Canteen BoyCanteen Boy is a recurring Saturday Night Live character played by Adam Sandler. Canteen Boy is a naive, childlike assistant scoutmaster with an acute attention to detail. He is always seen with a full scout's uniform and a canteen around his neck. Canteen Boy is routinely mocked by other...
, a recurring character, also portrayed by Adam Sandler, on
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Like Bobby, Canteen Boy preferred "purified water, right out of the old canteen", which he always carried with him.
Plot
Bobby Boucher is a
socially ineptA social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
,
stutteringStuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
water boyIn the USA, a water boy is someone who works on the sidelines and provides water or other drinks to athletes. Also known to wear number 00....
with hidden anger issues due to constant teasing and excessive sheltering by his mother (
Kathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
). He became the water boy for the University of Louisiana Cougars after being told his father died of
dehydrationIn physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
in the Sahara Desert while serving in the
Peace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
. However, the players always torment him and the team's head coach, Red Beaulieu (
Jerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
), eventually fires him for "disrupting" his practices. Bobby then approaches Coach Klein (
Henry WinklerHenry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
) of the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs and asks to work as the team's waterboy. Coach Klein has been coach of SCLSU for years without success, after his brilliant playbook was stolen by Red Beaulieu.
Bobby's mother (
Kathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
) tells Bobby of the evils of football and forbids him to play. Coach Klein shows Bobby his tattoo of
Roy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
encouraging him to go against his mothers' wishes.
After being picked on again by his new team, Coach Klein encourages Bobby to strike back, which leads to him knocking out the teams quarterback. Coach Klein convinces Bobby to enroll as a student at SCLSU and play for the team, which he agrees to do as long as nobody tells his mother.
Bobby quickly becomes one of the most feared
linebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s in
college footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, hitting opposing players with injury-causing force. The Mud Dogs manage a winning streak and earn a trip to the annual Bourbon Bowl to face the Cougars and Coach Beaulieu. Bobby's newfound fame also allows him to rekindle a relationship with his childhood friend and crush Vicki Vallencourt (
Fairuza BalkFairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz...
), who has been in prison multiple times.
Coach Beaulieu reveals that Bobby never finished high school, making him ineligible for college and football. However, Bobby manages to pass his
GEDGeneral Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
exam, despite his mother's objections about him going back to college. She then fakes falling ill to keep Bobby from playing, but eventually admits it after witnessing the town residents' support for Bobby.
Arriving at halftime of the Bourbon Bowl, Bobby manages to encourage the losing Mud Dogs to make a comeback. With Bobby's help, Coach Klein overcomes his fear of Red Beaulieu and creates new plays that allow the Mud Dogs to catch up. During the final play, Bobby throws a touchdown pass and the Mud Dogs win the Bourbon Bowl. Bobby is named the MVP of the game.
Sometime later, Bobby and Vicki are getting married. On their way out Bobby's father makes an unexpected appearance, having actually left Bobby's pregnant mother for another woman years ago. He tries to convince Bobby to leave school and go to the NFL, hoping to personally profit as his father; but Bobby's mother charges in and tackles him down.
Cast
- Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
as Robert 'Bobby' Boucher, Jr.
- Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Helen 'Mama' Boucher
- Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz...
as Vicki Vaillancourt
- Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
as Coach Klein
- Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
as Coach Red Beaulieu
- Larry Gilliard Jr.
Lawrence "Larry" Gilliard, Jr. is an American character actor who has appeared in films, television series and theatre. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of D'Angelo Barksdale on the HBO drama series The Wire, a role which earned him much critical acclaim.Gilliard was born in New York City...
as Derek Wallace
- Blake Clark
Blake Clark is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, and veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a Captain with the 101st Airborne Division....
as Farmer Fran
- Peter Dante
Peter Francis Dante is an American actor. He has been in most Happy Madison films with his friend, Adam Sandler. His roles are usually alongside Jonathan Loughran and/or Allen Covert. His role in Little Nicky was named "Peter". Similarly, his role in Grandma's Boy was named after his last name...
as Gee Grenouille
- Jonathan Loughran
Jonathan Loughran is an American actor who is in most Happy Madison films with his friend Adam Sandler.-Filmography:* Sexbomb* Bulletproof* The Waterboy* Big Daddy* Little Nicky...
as Lyle Robideaux
- Al Whiting as Casey Bugge
- Clint Howard
Clinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Paco
- Allen Covert
Allen Stephen Covert is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Adam Sandler.-Personal life:...
as Walter
- Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
as Townie
- Matt Baylis as Student
- Todd Holland
Todd Holland is an American television and film director and producer.-Personal life:Holland was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania and raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was an honor student, graduating from Meadville Area Sr. High School. While there, he got his feet wet...
as Greg Meaney
- Kirk Lindell as Dumb Redneck 3
- Kevin P. Farley
Kevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...
as Jim Simonds
- Frank Coraci
Frank Coraci is an American film director and screenwriter best known for his work with Adam Sandler.Coraci was born in Shirley, New York. Coraci graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988. He has directed three of Sandler's hit films as well as several of Sandler's...
as Roberto Boucher
- Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
as Captain Insano
- Soon Hee Newbold
Soon Hee Newbold is an ASCAP award winning American composer, conductor, musician, and actress.- Biography :Newbold was born in Seoul, Korea, and adopted by the Newbold family. She grew up in Frederick, Maryland, with two sisters and began playing piano at age five and violin at age seven. ...
as Mud Dog Cheerleader
- Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
- Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
- Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
- Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler is a sports broadcaster for ESPN known best for his work on College GameDay for college football. Since 1989, Fowler has been the primary studio host for college football. Until 2006, he was also the lead studio host for men's college basketball on ESPN...
as Himself (ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
commentator)
- Lee Corso
Leland "Lee" Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He has been featured on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception and he appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football through NCAA Football 11...
as Himself (ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
commentator)
- Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
as Himself (ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
commentator)
- Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
as Himself (LT's Louisiana Lightning Training Football Camp)
- Bill Cowher
William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
as Himself (Pittsburgh Steelers coach)
- Jimmy Johnson
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
as Himself (Miami Dolphins coach)
- Sam Hazlewood as Himself (Bourbon Bowl Crowd)
- Wade Phillips
Wade Allen Phillips is the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans and former head coach for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills. He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons...
as Referee (uncredited)
- Jennifer Bini Taylor as Rita
Filming and production
The Waterboy was mostly filmed in the
Central FloridaCentral Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
and
OrlandoOrlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
area as well as around Daytona Beach,
Deland, FloridaDeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
and
Lakeland, FloridaLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
and surrounding areas.
The Mud Dogs home games were filmed at
Spec Martin StadiumSpec Martin Stadium is a 6,000 seat football stadium located in Deland, Florida. Spec Martin Stadium currently hosts DeLand High School Bulldog football and soccer games....
in
DeLand, FloridaDeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
, home of the local high school team (the DHS Bulldogs). The classrooms and gym where Bobby takes the GED are part of
Stetson UniversityStetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
, also located in DeLand. Stetson's Carlton Student Union building is featured in the scene where Bobby is told his mother has been hospitalized.
The scenes involving Momma's Cabin were shot on Lake Louisa, in
Clermont, FloridaClermont is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States, west of Orlando. The population was 13,100 in 2008. The city is essentially residential in character and its economy is centered in retail trade, lodging, and food and beverage establishments, which are tourism oriented. The historic...
.
Coach Klein's (Henry Winkler's) office was a stage built inside of the Florida Army National Guard Armory in Deland, Florida. It is home of Btry B 1st Bn 265th ADA. If you look closely, in the background of the practice field scenes, you can see the Armory and some military vehicles.
The initial exterior shot of the University of Louisiana stadium was Everbank Field in Jacksonville; the interior of the stadium is actually the
Citrus BowlThe Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in
Orlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The Citrus Bowl was also the filming location for the climatic Bourbon Bowl game.
The "medulla oblongata" scene was filmed at
Florida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
in Lakeland, FL. The extras in the scene were students at Florida Southern College. The scene was shot in Edge Hall.
Critical reception
The Waterboy received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The film has a rating of a rating of 32%, or 4.6/10, on
review aggregatorA review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the site's consensus being "
The Waterboy is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags." On
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film holds a rating of 41 out of 100, indicating "Mixed or average reviews." The film also appears on critic
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's "Most Hated" list. Nevertheless, the film was a box office smash, grossing $185,991,646 worldwide. Sandler's performance in the film earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor.