Review of Billy Madison (1995) by Dave A — 22 Aug 2011

I remember watching this one years ago, thinking comedy couldn't get better than this! I was 12 years old. Oh how I didn't know about "target demographics". Today, as I approach 30, I enjoy Billy Madison for the nostalgia of it, reminding myself of my silly childhood. That, and it's a fun stupid comedy with some dated humour and overacting. Adam Sandler began his film career here, and he's sure grown up since.

What makes Billy Madison work for me is the sheer lunacy of watching a man child take on little kids his own mental age. It's an early character type of Sandler's, one he went on to milk in future films too like Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy.

But is it still funny? Sure, I still laugh at Sandler's reaction to the ending of Ms Lippy's puppy story. But like many dumb movies, they're a product of their time and place, so anyone starting to dabble into back catalogues will waste their time here. Overall, it's straightforward, dumb and dumber man-child comedy that has some charm to it as well. And Brigette Wilson. Can never get tired of her!!