| The Waterboy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Frank Coraci |
| Produced by | Jack Giarraputo Robert Simonds Adam Sandler |
| Written by | Tim Herlihy Adam Sandler |
| Starring | Adam Sandler Kathy Bates Henry Winkler Fairuza Balk Jerry Reed |
| Music by | Alan Pasqua |
| Cinematography | Steven Bernstein |
| Editing by | Tom Lewis |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 6, 1998 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23,000,000 |
| Box office | $185,991,646 |
The Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameos. Sandler produced the movie and co-wrote the script with Tim Herlihy.
The movie was extremely profitable, earning over one hundred and eleven million dollars in the United States alone and made Sandler a successful actor with The Waterboy becoming his second $100 million film in a year, along with The Wedding Singer.
Sandler's character, Bobby Boucher (pronounced "Boo-SHAY"), bears a strong resemblance to his "The Excited Southerner" comedic skits from his album "What the Hell Happened to Me?" The portrayal is one of a stereotypical Cajun from the bayous of South Louisiana, not the typical stereotype of a Southerner. He also shares similarities in speech and mannerism to Canteen Boy, a recurring character, also portrayed by Adam Sandler, on Saturday Night Live.[1] Like Bobby, Canteen Boy preferred "purified water, right out of the old canteen", which he always carried with him.
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Bobby Boucher is a socially inept, stuttering water boy with hidden anger issues due to constant teasing and excessive sheltering by his mother (Kathy Bates). He became the water boy for the University of Louisiana Cougars[2] after being told his father died of dehydration in the Sahara Desert while serving in the Peace Corps. However, the players always torment him and the team's head coach, Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed), eventually fires him for "disrupting" his practices. Bobby then approaches Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) 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 Bates) tells Bobby of the evils of football and forbids him to play. Coach Klein shows Bobby his tattoo of Roy Orbison 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 linebackers in college football, 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 Balk), 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 GED 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.
The Waterboy was mostly filmed in the Central Florida and Orlando area as well as around Daytona Beach, Deland, Florida and Lakeland, Florida and surrounding areas.
The Mud Dogs home games were filmed at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, Florida, home of the local high school team (the DHS Bulldogs). The classrooms and gym where Bobby takes the GED are part of Stetson University, 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, Florida.
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 Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The Citrus Bowl was also the filming location for the climatic Bourbon Bowl game.
The "medulla oblongata" scene was filmed at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. The extras in the scene were students at Florida Southern College. The scene was shot in Edge Hall.
The Waterboy received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The film has a rating of 32%, or 4.6/10, on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the site's consensus being "The Waterboy is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 41 out of 100, indicating "Mixed or average reviews." The film also appears on critic Roger Ebert'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. However, the film did receive accolades in its genre, as it received recognition from the American Film Institute. The film was a nominee for AFI's AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs.
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