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Adam Sandler comedies are an acquired taste. I suppose
I’ve acquired a bit of a taste for his films as most of
them have gotten better as time has gone on (either that
or I’m terminally ill). That said, Sandler comedies seem
to be the modern day descendants of Three Stooges comedies;
they have universal appeal but you might not live in the
universe where that appeal exists. ***
In “The Waterboy” Sandler plays a sad sack who has
a gift. Bobby (Sandler) has worked as a waterboy for various
football teams over the years. When he is fired by Red Beaulieu
(Jerry Reed) he takes his talents to coach Klein (no relation-played
by Henry Winkler)who sits atop one of the worst losing streaks
in the league. Klein recognizes that Bobby has the makings
of a great defensive tackle when he’s angry. So Klein tries
to make Bobby very angry when possible and—surprise—Bobby
who has more angry energy than the Hulk (minus the green
skin) turns into a terrific and inspirational player. ***
Sandler’s comedies rely on the same “underdog” formula
and win or lose based on the comedy bits in the film. Unfortunately,
“The Waterboy” lacks inspiration even for an Adam Sandler
film. Sandler co-producer and co-wrote this mess of a movie
and even with a strong supporting cast that includes Kathy
Bates as his mom, he misses every opportunity to throw a
touch down pass with this mess of a movie. ---
Image & Sound:
Overall “The Waterboy” appears in a solid if unspectacular
transfer. Colors and flesh tones are accurate throughout
the film. Image quality varies from extremely sharp and
crisp to dull and flat. Blacks are solid for the most part
throughout although there is a loss of fine detail in some
scenes particularly the day time sequences set outdoors.
***
Audio is solid throughout but don’t expect this film
to give your system a workout; like most comedies it is
dialogue driven and that doesn’t lend itself to a complete
surround experience.
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