Gunga Din he’s not. In The Waterboy, Adam Sandler plays a dim-witted, Cajun mama’s-boy dedicated to serving college football players “quality H2O.” He’s a human tackling dummy. Then, after years of public humiliation, Bobby Boucher becomes a hero by releasing that pent-up hostility on opposing ball carriers and turning his team into a winner.
Critics panned Waterboy, but teens flocked to see Sandler’s crude antics, making the movie a $160 million theatrical hit. Now on video, this comedy’s profane language, sexual innuendo, and mockery of virginity and Christian faith are overshadowed only by its twisted path to vindication. While it’s easy to root for the pathetic aqua toter to overcome his social handicaps and earn respect, what message is Sandler sending young fans by having his character achieve success by going ballistic and leveling people who’ve wronged him—including an old man? Brutal.
Adam Sandler has developed a huge following based on some very mean-spirited, vulgar, sexually explicit material. R-rated films. Salacious comedy albums. While The Waterboy doesn’t quite compare to his worst offenses, this watered-down version of Sandler’s shtick relies on entirely too much crass, kinky humor for discerning families.
