Review of Billy Madison (1995) by Mickey M — 07 Mar 2013

"Billy Madison" (Adam Sandler) is a huge slacker still living with his father, "Brian" (Darren McGavin), the owner of the "Madison Hotel" chain. "Brian" informs his adult, but immature son that he has decided to turn over his multimillion dollar business to a scheming vice president (Bradley Whitfield). "Billy" tries to get his father to reconsider, but his father has made his choice.

"Billy" tries to get his father to reconsider, but his father feels that "Billy" is not even close to being ready for the responsibility only because he had to buy "Billy's" way through school. "Billy" then gets an idea to prove his worth to his father -- redo every grade in a 24-week span (that's two weeks per grade). But a certain scheming vice president will do anything to gain control of the "Madison" empire.

This is, in my opinion, one of the funnier Sandler movies. Even though I didn't bust a gut at any of the jokes, I did laugh at just about every comedic scene throughout the entire movie. I even laughed at the typical Sandler comedic persona, which I usually find too over-the-top for my taste.

Another thing that was good was the pace of the film. The jokes were spaced out near perfectly. Also, the scenes were edited nicely and not choppy.

One thing that worked well was the cast. I really liked the way the chemistry between Sandler and the beautiful Bridgette Wilson-Sampras worked. I also liked how well Sandler worked with the children.

There is some problem with some of the supporting cast. There are a few who are just there to advance the storyline, while others are there to fill up space on screen, and do nothing for the plot.

I also liked the soundtrack, most of which was music from the 80's that I grew up on.

If you like silly, childish comedy, then this one is for you. I can only recommend this as a pretty strong second choice for the next time you go to your local video Cast, rental store.