Review of The Waterboy (1998) by Deckard2 — 14 Feb 2022

"Thank you so much......for being my friends".

In my humble opinion this might be one of Adam Sandlers best works especially before he embarked on his 1000 picture Netflix contract. We have here a simple story. Adam Sandler plays a young man with (we assume although not directly referenced) Aspergers who has an obsession with the proper maintenance and distribution of H2O to college football athletes. All seems lost when he is inexplicably fired and is forced to begin a voyage of discovery as he is proceeds to take on a new job as Waterboy for a rival football team coached by the exceedingly excellent Henry Winkler.

As with most Adam Sandler movies please check the brain at the door and don't take anything too seriously. If you can agree with those pre-requisites there is a lot to enjoy here. As said, Winkler shines here as the shell of a man Coach Kline haunted by his past and Cathy Bates is excellent as the over protective mother sheltering Bobby from the hostilities of the real world. The film is endlessly quotable and many things have continued to sustain a penetrance into the pop culture vernacular, "You can do it!" comes to mind. Roy Schneider and Clint Howard also pop in for their scene stealing cameos as in most Sandler movies.

Overall, the Waterboy stands the test of time and brought a smile to my face many years after first watching it with my Dad as we both laughed maniacally all those years ago. If I had a criticism, if anything, the narrative could have been slightly better strung together and might have benefitted from a slightly longer run time to make things a little more cohesive. As a commentary on the treatment of those with Aspergers, probably best not to think too hard about it. However, the laughs are plentiful and Sandlers performance gets you thoroughly invested in the plights of this troubled individual who is often the target for the big bullies with which he must work. A heart warming comedy that no doubt I will return to again and again.

"Now that's what I call high quality H20".