The Waterboy

For other uses, see Water boy (disambiguation).

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 Fairuza Balk Henry Winkler Jerry Reed Larry Gilliard, Jr. Blake Clark Peter Dante Jonathan Loughran
Music by	Alan Pasqua
Cinematography	Steven Bernstein
Editing by	Tom Lewis
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s)	November 6, 1998 (1998-11-06)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$23,000,000
Box office	$185,991,646

The Waterboy is a 1998 American sports/comedy film directed by Frank Coraci (who played Robert 'Roberto' Boucher, Sr.), starring Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Blake Clark, Peter Dante and Jonathan Loughran, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. This was Jerry Reed’s final film appearance. He died Sept. 1, 2008, at the age of 71 from complications due to emphysema.

Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight and Rob Schneider have cameo appearances. The movie was extremely profitable, earning $161.5 million in North America alone. This was Sandler's second film to eclipse $120 million worldwide in 1998 along with The Wedding Singer.

Adam 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. 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 inept, stuttering water boy with hidden anger issues due to constant teasing and excessive sheltering by his mother, Helen (Kathy Bates). He became the water boy for the (fictional) University of Louisiana Cougars after being told his father died of dehydration in the Sahara 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 water boy. Coach Klein has been coach of SCLSU for years without success, after his brilliant playbook was stolen by Red Beaulieu.

Bobby's mother Helen tells Bobby of the evils of football and forbids him to play. After being picked on again by his new team, Coach Klein encourages Bobby to strike back, which leads to him tackling and knocking out the team's 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 after Coach Klein shows Bobby his tattoo of Roy Orbison, encouraging him to clandestinely go against his mother's wishes.

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. However, Helen forbids Bobby from seeing her again.

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 relents after witnessing the town residents' support for Bobby. The next day, Helen tells Bobby the truth what really happened to his father and why she was faking her illness. Years ago, he changed his name to Roberto and left her for a voodoo priestess, while she was pregnant. This in turn lead Helen to excessively sheltering him all his life. She was afraid Bobby was going to leave her, too, and tried to keep him all to herself by hiding him from everyone else who depended on him. Helen realizes the best thing for her to do is let him go since he has made a lot of friends and encourages him to play in the Bourbon Bowl.

Arriving at halftime of the Bourbon Bowl with Helen and Vicki, Bobby manages to encourage the losing Mud Dogs to make a comeback. The team admits that he has become the heart and soul of the Mud Dogs. Seeing the overwhelming support at the Bourbon Bowl, Helen changes her mind about football being for the devil. With Bobby's help, Coach Klein overcomes his fear of Red Beaulieu by imagining him as something he's not afraid of (i. e. a baby and a cocker spaniel). This helps Klein create spectacular new plays that allow the Mud Dogs to catch up. Helen helps the cheerleaders out by making coffee and it helps keep their energy up as they cheer their fans on to rally, while Vicki is seen giving out water to the Mud Dogs. 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 get married and are heading to the riding lawn mower. Although Helen still has some reservation on Vicki, she admits he's got a fine woman who'll take care of him. On their way out Bobby's father, Roberto, makes an unexpected appearance, telling him that he heard from ESPN that he may go to the NFL. Bobby tells him that he's not going to the NFL because he wants to stay in school and graduate. Roberto tries to convince Bobby to leave school and go to the NFL, hoping to personally profit as his father. However, an enraged Helen charges in and tackles him, causing cheers from the attendants. Bobby and Vicki leave to consummate their marriage.

Cast and characters

• Adam Sandler as Robert 'Bobby' Boucher, Jr.
• Kathy Bates as Helen 'Mama' Boucher
• Fairuza Balk as Vicki Boucher Nee Vaillancourt
• Jerry Reed as Coach Red Beaulieu
• Peter Dante as Gee Grenouille
• Henry Winkler as Coach Klein
• Larry Gilliard, Jr. as Derek Wallace
• Blake Clark as Farmer Fran
• Jonathan Loughran as Lyle Robideaux
• Clint Howard as Paco
• Allen Covert as Walter
• Rob Schneider as Townie
• Kevin Farley as Jim Simonds
• Frank Coraci as Robert 'Roberto' Boucher, Sr.
• Big Show (from World Wrestling Entertainment) as Captain Insano
• Soon Hee Newbold as Mud Dog Cheerleader
• Dan Fouts as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
• Brent Musburger as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
• Lynn Swann as Himself (ABC Sports commentator)
• Chris Fowler as Himself (ESPN commentator)
• Lee Corso as Himself (ESPN commentator)
• Trevor Miller as Himself
• Dan Patrick as Himself (ESPN commentator)
• Lawrence Taylor as Himself (LT's Louisiana Lightning Training Football Camp)
• Bill Cowher as Himself (Pittsburgh Steelers coach)
• Jimmy Johnson as Himself (Miami Dolphins coach)
• Wade Phillips as Referee (uncredited)
• Jennifer Bini Taylor as Rita

Filming and production

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 mama'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.

Critical reception

The Waterboy received mixed to negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the critics gave the film a rating of 32%, or 4.6/10, and the audience review gave it 75%, 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%, indicating "Mixed or average reviews. " The film grossed $185,991,646 worldwide from a $20 million budget The film also appears on critic Roger Ebert's "Most Hated" list.

Awards and nominations

For his role Sandler was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award award for Worst Actor. The film was also a nominee for the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs.

External links

• The Waterboy at the Internet Movie Database
• The Waterboy at AllRovi
• The Waterboy at Rotten Tomatoes