Review of Billy Madison (1995) by Zach F — 14 Apr 2018

Alright, I'm going to be brutally honest and try not to sound as biased as possible. First, I will preface by saying I grew up with this movie and it may or may not sway my opinion of the film. I have an extreme sense of nostalgia when I watch this movie nowadays.

I won't say that makes it a good or bad film because I bet there are a lot people that feel the same way about other movies they grew up with. Another thing I will say is that I grew up with Adam Sandler in my house from Billy Madison to Big Daddy.

Recently I rewatched Happy Gilmore from start to finish which is something I haven't done in a long time. I have to say I wasn't that impressed, it had a few moments but I thought it fell a bit flat for me.

Now, I will talk about Billy Madison. The score is an odd choice but goes surprisingly well with the film itself. The acting is actually pretty great for being your "run of the mill" comedy.

Billy's dad, Eric, Billy, and Juanita stand out. Adam Sandler has been in quite a few flops but I think this is far from it. The first scene in the film, you see him in his current state a drunk loser that has nothing really going for him.

He lives live the way he wants instead of the way he should as the film progresses he matures until finally becoming what his father dreamed he could be. Honestly, the character development in this film works pretty well when you compare to some of his other films.

At the end of the film you're not rooting for the villain or anti hero, it's more like rooting for the hero that was a villain so to speak. One of the scenes that stands out to me in terms of comedy is when they have the musical number halfway towards the film.

Not to get too deep into it, but that was almost the turning point of his entire character. Even when he promised to go back to school to please his father I felt like he was just trying to make his father happy and wasn't too serious, and when you couple that with the fact that he dances to that song on the stairway, it shows that he's still in his earlier party state.

What makes this movie work for me as an audience member is the humanitarian aspect of it. Even when they show him at the end with his diploma, you see the teachers from his previous grades and the kids that were always there for him.

It's actually a pretty dynamic film if you dissect it enough, even I'm learning of new things as I write this review. Think about when he threw the dodgeball at the kids and yelled at the kid for saying donkey Kong sucks, flip that around and see how he treats the children later in the film.

There's a long running gag in the film with the o'Doyle family which in a Karmic aspect, get what's coming to them with the banana peel, which adds another level of comedy to the film. Not only is it your traditional banana peel slip gag but you see it throughout the film molding and you expect someone to slip on it until it eventually happens.

Another awakening moment for Billy is when he goes to high school. He thinks he is cool but everyone sees him as a reject. He makes quips at the Professor which the audience may find funny but not the classmates, and he plays the older classic rock music and style he grew up with which everyone thinks is not cool by today's standards which makes Billy feel out of place.

Now the villain in this film is Eric who I think steals the show, I'm not too familiar with the actor himself but he plays the role so well that every time I watch the film I can't help but root against him.

He plays a true comical villain, every plan he makes against Billy backfired against him and ultimately leads to him getting shot in the buttock and he is even seen during Billy's graduation in crutches which adds to Billy's heroic payoff.

Eric in essence is the true villain and plays it very well, helps character is not as dynamic as Billy's and he's driven only by achieving his goal of attaining the company and is willing to get it at the expense of the hero.

The movie is full of characters that when on screen steal the show so it's hard to pin point certain people, a good example of this is a character you only really see for about 2 minutes and it's the elderly woman who makes probably the two best lines in the film one involving Miles Davis and the other, Sasquatch.

If you look at this film in the ways I've presented them it should make your film experience more enjoyable, because even though I first enjoyed this film as a child I think I enjoy even more as an adult.

The turning point in a man's life where decides what he wants and what he needs, the turning point from villain to hero, the whacky yet necessary cast of characters, and the nostalgic feeling of your own days at school.

I think it's a more dynamic film then what other people have branded it as. In essence, it's comedy in its purest form. I think Adam Sandler is really talented and I applaud everyone who worked to create this timeless comedy.