The Waterboy is a 1998 American sports/comedy film
directed by Frank Coraci (who played Robert 'Roberto' Boucher,
Sr.), starring Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Blake Clark, Peter Dante and Jonathan
Loughran, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo.
Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight and Rob Schneider have cameo appearances. The movie was
extremely profitable, earning $161.5 million in North America alone.[1] This was Sandler's second film to
eclipse $120 million worldwide in 1998 along with The Wedding Singer.[1]
Adam
Sandler's character, Bobby Boucher (pronounced /buːˈʃeɪ/ boo-shay),
bears a strong resemblance to his "The Excited Southerner" comedic
skits from his album What the Hell Happened to Me? The portrayal is one of a
stereotypical Cajun from the bayous of South Louisiana, not the typical
stereotype of a Southerner. He also shares similarities in speech and mannerism
to Canteen Boy,
a recurring character, also portrayed by Adam Sandler, onSaturday Night Live.[2] Like Bobby, Canteen Boy preferred
"purified water, right out of the old canteen", which he always
carried with him.
Bobby Boucher is a socially inept, stuttering water boy with hidden anger issues due to
constant teasing and excessive sheltering by his mother, Helen (Kathy Bates).
He became the water boy for the (fictional) University of Louisiana Cougars[3] after being told his father died of dehydration in the Sahara while serving in the Peace Corps.
However, the players always torment him and the team's head coach, Red Beaulieu
(Jerry Reed),
eventually fires him for "disrupting" his players. After a few
unsuccessful attempts at finding work, including one attempt to get water for
professional wrestler Captain Insano (Paul Wight)
(and also his idol, who laughs at him, one of the embarrassing memories he uses
to channel his anger in football.), Bobby then approaches Coach Klein (Henry Winkler)
of the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs.
After realizing that his team has been drinking filthy water, Bobby says that
stagnated water must be disposed of and replaced with fresh water daily, a job
he knows well. Aware that Bobby will be a fine addition to the team, Coach
Klein hires him.
Bobby's
mother, Helen tells Bobby of the evils of football, or "foosball" as Helen
pronounces it, and forbids him to play. After being picked on again by his new
team, Coach Klein encourages Bobby to strike back, which leads to him tackling
and knocking out the team's quarterback. Coach Klein convinces Bobby to enroll
as a student at SCLSU and play for the team, which he agrees to do as long as
nobody tells his mother.
Bobby
quickly becomes one of the most feared linebackers in college football,
hitting opposing players with injury-causing force visualizing them as someone
insulting him, and made a record at that. His attacking skills were just as
good. The Mud Dogs manage a winning streak and earn a trip to the annual
Bourbon Bowl to face the Cougars and Coach Beaulieu. Bobby's newfound fame also
allows him to rekindle a relationship with his childhood friend and crush,
Vicki Vallencourt (Fairuza Balk), who has been in prison multiple times. However,
Helen forbids Bobby from seeing her again.
Coach
Beaulieu arrives at a Mud Dogs pep rally and reveals that Bobby never finished
high school, making him ineligible for college and football. Everybody labels
him as a cheater. Then Coach Klein admits to Bobby that Red stole his playbook
years ago, causing him a mental block. With his encouragement Bobby manages to
pass his GED exam,
despite his mother's objections about him going back to college. When Bobby
finally admits that he's been playing football behind her back, Helen once
again gives her "for the devil" lectures, but Bobby finally snaps
back, saying that with her, everything's for the devil, and that she's always
been holding him back from his life, and professes his love for Vicki Vallencourt,
and he angrily storms out of the house to see her. She then fakes falling ill
to keep Bobby from playing, but eventually relents after witnessing the town
residents' support for Bobby. The next day, Helen awakens and tells Bobby the
truth what really happened to his father and why she was faking her illness.
Years ago, Bobby's father headed to New Orleans to find work. While there, he
fell for a voodoo priestess, changed his name to Roberto and ran off with her,
abandoning Helen while she was pregnant with Bobby. This in turn lead Helen to
excessively sheltering him all his life out of fear he'd abandon her like his
father did. Helen realizes the best thing for her to do is let Bobby go since
he has made a lot of friends and encourages him to play in the Bourbon Bowl.
Arriving
at halftime of the Bourbon Bowl with Helen and Vicki, Bobby manages to
encourage the losing Mud Dogs to make a comeback. The team admits that he has
become the heart and soul of the Mud Dogs. With Bobby's help, Coach Klein overcomes
his fear of Red Beaulieu, using the same strategy of visualizing Red as a baby
and a puppy, which helps him create new plays that allow the Mud Dogs to catch
up. Helen helps the cheerleaders out by making coffee and it helps keep their
energy up as they cheer their fans on to rally, while Vicki is seen giving out
water to the Mud Dogs. During the final play, Bobby throws a touchdown pass to
the quarterback and the Mud Dogs win the Bourbon Bowl. Bobby is named the MVP of
the game.
Sometime
later, Bobby and Vicki get married and are leaving on the riding lawn mower. On
their way out, Bobby's father makes an unexpected appearance, telling him that
he heard from ESPN that he may go to the NFL. Bobby tells him that
he is not going to the NFL because he feels he should earn a college diploma
first. Bobby Sr. tries to convince him to take the NFL offers, hoping to gain
some of the profits from it, but is tackled by Helen for abandoning her all
those years ago. Bobby and Vicki leave to consummate their marriage.
Describe the Waterboy’s mother:
Describe the Waterboy’s girlfriend:
Did you like this movie? Why or why not?
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