Common Sense Media Review
Crude, predictable Adam Sandler football comedy.
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The Waterboy
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 16 parent reviews
Based on 51 kid reviews
Kids say the film is a blend of raunchy humor and sports comedy that features a lot of strong language, sexual innuendos, and slapstick violence, making it best suited for older teens. While it has proven to be a classic for many fans of Adam Sandler, criticisms arise regarding its crude content and predictability, leading some to advise against younger viewers watching it.
- crude humor
- strong language
- positive messages
- predictable content
- targeted at teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
THE WATERBOY stars Adam Sandler as Bobby Boucher, a 31-year-old man who lives with his mother (Kathy Bates) and cares only about providing the freshest, most delicious water for the University of Louisiana Cougars football team. Fired by the coach (Jerry Reed), Bobby volunteers to be the unpaid waterboy for a different team, one that hasn't won a game in four years. Though his mother has raised him to avoid all relationships, and he hates confrontation, it turns out that when Bobby gets angry, he can tackle a Mack truck. So he becomes a football star, falls for Vicki (Fairuza Balk as a tattooed, lovable ex-con), and teaches his mother and himself that he can be more independent.
Is It Any Good?
There's not much to recommend here, but plenty of teens will enjoy it, if only to be able to trade the punchlines with their friends. If you want to see The Waterboy, you're probably between the ages of 12 and 16 or seeking the nostalgia of Sandler's 1990s movie streak. Or you could be a sports fan who wants to catch cameos of football players, coaches, and sportscasters like Lawrence Taylor and Lynn Swann. It's hard to imagine anyone else sitting through it. Sandler uses an especially annoying voice throughout, and there isn't much energy in the script or performances. Though The Waterboy can be just as crude and formulaic as his other movies from the decade, this one isn't quite as funny, goofy, or silly as Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes Sandler's type of humor in The Waterboy so popular. What parts might people think are funny and why?
How is bullying shown in this movie? How does it make the waterboy a sympathetic character, one audiences would want to root for?
What are some of the ways in which regional accents are used to humorous effect here? Do any portrayals cross into offensive stereotyping? What might have been lost if the movie had been set in a place with a less distinctive culture than rural Louisiana?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 6, 1998
- On DVD or streaming : March 16, 1999
- Cast : Adam Sandler , Fairuza Balk , Kathy Bates
- Director : Frank Coraci
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Touchstone Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some crude sexual humor
- Award : Kids' Choice Award
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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