The Waterboy

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The Waterboy

PG-13

1998

1h 28m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu. When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein. After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

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Critics Consensus

This is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags.

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Andrew O'Hehir

Sight & Sound

Jun 18, 2012

A witless and utterly predictable comic fantasy about a misfit turned hero.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 29, 2010

1/5

Really dumb, but many teens love it anyway.

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Glenn Lovell

Variety

Jun 2, 2008

The formulaic mix of mirth and mayhem is aimed way down the MTV food chain...

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 25, 2020

2/10

This juvenile, unnecessary, and utterly pathetic madness can barely be considered a comedy; the jokes are so immature and flat that it more closely resembles a tragedy.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Jul 10, 2010

2.5/4

An agreeable yet forgettable comedy...

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Aug 12, 2009

2.5/4

There's an innocence to The Waterboy that makes the picture part slapstick and part fairy tale...The only problem with letting kids see this Adam Sandler movie? They might want to see another one. [Blu-ray]

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Ed B

@EdLee 3 days ago

The waterboy, although silly, a Favorite of the early Adam Sandler movies. Great supporting cast of Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler and Jerry Reed. Funny Football Flick.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Sep 21, 2026

One of Adam Sandler's best movies! It was very heartwarming and funny. Kathy Bates also did a great job playing his mom. Definitely recommend!

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 11, 2026

The Waterboy = a 3.5 star Movie!

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Dave D

@RT78510413 Sep 7, 2026

Adam Sandler basically takes his Cajun Man character from SNL and expands it into a movie. The entire cast is loving their roles and there are constant jokes and sight gags. Great movie!

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Chris S

@Janomi Aug 30, 2026

The Waterboy has plenty to like because Adam Sandler fully commits to Bobby Boucher. The voice, innocence, awkwardness, sudden anger, and physical comedy make Bobby ridiculous but still oddly lovable. He could have been too cartoonish, but Sandler gives him enough sweetness to make the underdog story work. The football-comedy setup is perfect for this era of Sandler. A sheltered waterboy becoming a violent, unstoppable college linebacker is simple, silly, and built for big physical comedy. Watching Bobby turn years of bullying and repression into tackles gives the movie most of its comic energy. Henry Winkler is great as Coach Klein, playing panic, weakness, and encouragement in a funny way, while Kathy Bates is memorable as Bobby’s overprotective mother. The movie is loud, goofy, and very basic, but the quotable lines, bayou football atmosphere, and comfort-comedy rewatchability make it easy to enjoy.

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Paul H

@RT51741478 Aug 10, 2026

A movie so idiotic that it literally ruined me on Adam Sandler. I've never seen another one of his products. Zip. Nada. I would have walked out of this trash, but I couldn't get any of my fellow movie goers to join me. The baby talk was just too much. I simply don't understand why anyone would find this remotely funny. Just painful.

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Frank Coraci

Director

Adam Sandler

Bobby Boucher

Kathy Bates

Helen 'Mama' Boucher

Henry Winkler

Coach Klein

Fairuza Balk

Vicki Vallencourt

Jerry Reed

Coach Red Beaulieu

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Synopsis

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu. When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein. After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

Director: Frank Coraci
Producer: Jack Giarraputo, Robert Simonds
Screenwriter: Tim Herlihy, Allen Pasqua, Adam Sandler
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Waterboy Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $161.5M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS

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