The Waterboy (1998)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Frank Coraci

Writers (WGA):

Tim Herlihy (written by) &
Adam Sandler (written by)

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The Water-Boy is The Devil!

Plot:

A football team water boy discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.

Plot Keywords:

Stuttering | Cult Favorite | Abandoned By Father | Low Self Esteem | Deserted By Husband

Awards:

5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Robert 'Bobby' Boucher Jr.
Kathy Bates	...	Helen 'Mama' Boucher
Fairuza Balk	...	Vicki Vallencourt
Henry Winkler	...	Coach Klein
Jerry Reed	...	Coach Red Beaulieu
Larry Gilliard Jr.	...	Derek Wallace
Blake Clark	...	Farmer Fran
Peter Dante	...	Gee Grenouille
Jonathan Loughran	...	Lyle Robideaux
Al Whiting	...	Casey Bugge
Clint Howard	...	Paco
Allen Covert	...	Walter
Rob Schneider	...	Townie
Todd Holland	...	Greg Meaney
Robert Kokol	...	Professor
Frank Coraci	...	Robert 'Roberto' Boucher Sr.
Jennifer Bini Taylor	...	Rita
James Bates Jr.	...	West Mississippi Lineman
Kelly Hare	...	Drunk Cheerleader
Dawn Birch	...	Red's Watergirl
Steve Raulerson	...	Sheriff Loughran
Christopher Mugglebee	...	Sheriff Jack
Brett Rice	...	Laski
John Farley	...	Tony Dodd
Kevin P. Farley	...	Jim Simonds
Lee Corso	...	Himself
Bill Cowher	...	Himself
Dan Fouts	...	Himself
Chris Fowler	...	Himself
Jimmy Johnson	...	Himself
Brent Musburger	...	Himself
Dan Patrick	...	Himself
Lynn Swann	...	Himself
Lawrence Taylor	...	Himself
Paul Wight	...	Captain Insano (as Paul 'The Giant' Wight)
Jamie Williams	...	Young Bobby Boucher
Marc Kittay	...	Youngest Bobby Boucher
Matt Baylis	...	Student
Jack Carroll	...	Bible College Coach
Tom Nowicki	...	Community College Coach
Ric Swezey	...	Male Cheerleader
Matthew Lussier	...	Redneck
Haven Gaston	...	Tina
Michael Hold	...	Central Kentucky Quarterdeck
Kevin Reid	...	West Mississippi Quarterback
Mattie Wolf	...	Cajun Lady
Phyllis Alia	...	TV Producer
Dave Wagner	...	Announcer
Tina Barr	...	Cheerleader
Michael Giarraputo	...	Bourbon Bowl Statistician
Marty Eli Schwartz	...	Moderator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jennifer Basa	...	Cheerleader (uncredited)
Renee Behan	...	Flashback Cheerleader (uncredited)
Nathan Benson	...	Sign-toting Fan (uncredited)
Brian Brophy	...	Extra (uncredited)
Will Green	...	Extra Football Player (uncredited)
Heather Hegeman	...	Cheerleader (uncredited)
Stephen Krstulich	...	Extra (uncredited)
Dave Mallow	...	Sports Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Ken McCoy	...	Test Professor (uncredited)
Travis McGehee	...	College Student (uncredited)
Kevin McGuire	...	Sports Cameraman (uncredited)
Lisa Michele McTigue	...	Fan (uncredited)
Soon Hee Newbold	...	Mud Dog Cheerleader (uncredited)
Michael S. Nunez	...	Sports Writer (uncredited)
Patrick O'Hara	...	Cougar Quarterback (uncredited)
Mazio Royster	...	Runningback #7 (uncredited)
Christie Sanders	...	Extra (uncredited)
Chay Santini	...	Cougar Cheerleader (uncredited)
Skye Noel Smith	...	Classmate (uncredited)
Wesley Smith	...	Redneck Paul (uncredited)
Todd Thompson	...	#21 Mud Dogs (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Coraci

Writing credits (WGA)
Tim Herlihy		(written by) &
Adam Sandler		(written by)

Produced by
Phyllis Alia	....	associate producer
Jack Giarraputo	....	producer
Michelle Holdsworth	....	associate producer
Adam Sandler	....	executive producer
Ira Shuman	....	co-producer
Robert Simonds	....	producer
Rita Smith	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Alan Pasqua

Cinematography by
Steven Bernstein		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Lewis

Production Design by
Perry Andelin Blake

Art Direction by
Alan Au

Set Decoration by
Barbara Peterson

Costume Design by
Tom Bronson

Makeup Department
Stacey K. Black	....	key hair stylist: re-shoots only
Erin Brasfield	....	makeup department head
Lee Grimes	....	makeup artist
Jane Hassinger	....	key hair stylist
Ann Pala	....	makeup artist
Lori McCoy-Bell	....	hair stylist: additional photography (uncredited)

Production Management
Mark Indig	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leo Bauer	....	second second assistant director
Adam Druxman	....	first assistant director: second unit
Adam Druxman	....	key second assistant director
Michael Finn	....	second assistant director
Allan Graf	....	second unit director
Marten W. Piccinini	....	second assistant director:second unit
Marty Eli Schwartz	....	first assistant director

Art Department
John Balling	....	scenic artist
Brandon Behrendt	....	art department intern
Eileen Bobeck	....	art department coordinator
Stephen I. Erdberg	....	assistant property master
Nicklas Farrantello	....	paint gang boss
William F. Gambill	....	stand-by painter
Frank Hendrick	....	set dresser
Bret Kane	....	set dresser
Alan S. Reynolds	....	lead scenic artist
Mark Simon	....	storyboard artist
Derrick Smith	....	set designer
Michael Walters	....	specialty prop fabricator
Andrew Wert	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
David Bach	....	adr editor
David Bach	....	dialogue editor
Matthew C. Beville	....	foley mixer
Paula Fairfield	....	sound effects editor
Russell Farmarco	....	adr supervisor
Russell Farmarco	....	dialogue supervisor
Jim Fitzpatrick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gregory M. Gerlich	....	supervising sound editor
Ron S. Herbes	....	dialogue editor
Warren Kleiman	....	foley mixer
Ai-Ling Lee	....	sound effects editor
Jay Meagher	....	sound mixer
Randy Smith	....	boom operator
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Derek Vanderhorst	....	sound effects editor
Elmo Weber	....	sound designer
Elmo Weber	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Weber	....	sound mixer: second unit
Michael Mullane	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Rudy Pi	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeremy S. Brock	....	special effects technician
Ken Gorrell	....	special effects coordinator
Russell Tyrrell	....	special effects foreman

Visual Effects by
Jeffrey Arnold	....	visual effects artist
David Fogg	....	visual effects supervisor
Gino Freselli	....	visual effects production assistant
Shauna M. Hirdler	....	visual effects production assistant
Lincoln Kupchak	....	visual effects editor
John P. Mesa	....	visual effects artist
Penny A. Mesa	....	visual effects producer
William Mesa	....	visual effects producer
Dan Novy	....	visual effects technical supervisor
Bruce Pearson	....	visual effects artist

Stunts
Michael Adams	....	stunts (as Mike Adams)
Christine Anne Baur	....	stunts (as Christine Baur)
Todd Champagne	....	stunts
Jamal Clark	....	stunts
Alex Edlin	....	stunts
Michael J. Fisher	....	stunts (as Mike Fisher)
Allan Graf	....	stunt coordinator
Mike Hold	....	stunt double: Peter Dante
Horace Knight	....	stunts
Kaye Madden	....	stunt double: Kathy Bates
Artie Malesci	....	stunts
Michael Papajohn	....	stunt double: Adam Sandler
Roberta Riordan	....	stunts
Mazio Royster	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunts
Christopher C. Siegfried	....	stunts (as Christopher Siegfried)
Scott Smith	....	stunt double: Johnathan Loughran
Scott Smith	....	stunts
Kaye Wade	....	stunts
Stephen G. Yandell	....	stunts
Brandon Molale	....	football stunts (uncredited)
Robert Allen Mukes	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen F. Andrich	....	cinematographer: football second unit
Darwin Montana Browne	....	key grip: re-shoots
Chip Byrd	....	second assistant camera: second unit
David S. Campbell	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Stephen Campbell	....	camera operator (as Steven Campbell)
David A. Cook	....	gaffer
Jon Baronn Farmer	....	still photographer
Chris Fisher	....	first assistant camera
David Ghegan	....	set lighting technician
Luke Halpin	....	electrician
Josh Harrison	....	additional second assistant camera
W.D. Hill	....	rigging electrician
Paul Horn	....	second assistant camera
Richard Lacy	....	first assistant camera
J. Steven Latham	....	first assistant camera
Mark McDevitt	....	clapper loader
Chip Monk	....	camera loader: second unit
Jack Nealy	....	electrician
Michael Noles	....	video playback operator
William Papp	....	Steadicam operator
William Papp	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Jorge A. Quiñonez	....	grip
Ralph Scherer	....	key grip: second unit
Louis Smith	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Vali Valus	....	first assistant camera
Michael J. Walsh	....	rigging gaffer
Chuck Weiss	....	additional video assist operator
Chuck Cohen	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Michael Thomas Dunn	....	assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Quintin Bennett	....	extras casting assistant
Terri Douglas	....	adr voice casting
Ellen Jacoby	....	extras casting
Ellen Jacoby	....	location casting
Roger Mussenden	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Emae Villalobos	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Bobby Gibis	....	assistant editor: avid
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Alan Z. McCurdy	....	assistant editor
Ron South	....	first assistant editor: avid
Paul M. Wagner	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brooks Arthur	....	music supervisor
Michael Dilbeck	....	music supervisor
Dan Garcia	....	music mixer: orchestra
Dan Garcia	....	music recordist: orchestra
Wende Geikie	....	music coordinator
Stuart Grusin	....	music editor
Daniel Hamuy	....	lead orchestrator
Lori Lahman	....	music coordinator
Stephen Lotwis	....	music editor
Alan Pasqua	....	orchestrator
Booker White	....	music preparation
Ken Tamplin	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
David Neil Enfinger	....	picture car coordinator

Other crew
Phyllis Alia	....	assistant: Mr. Coraci
Jillian Amburgey	....	script supervisor
Noah Arntson	....	intern to director
Tina Barr	....	assistant: Mr. Simonds
Thomas Bianco	....	first assistant accountant
Tammy Blackburn	....	animal trainer
Sheck Bugge	....	assistant: Mr. Giarraputo
Jessica Chavez	....	assistant: Ms. Smith
Caryn Cheever	....	assistant accountant
Rob Corsie	....	set production assistant
LaTrelle Creel	....	office production assistant
Dekker Dreyer	....	production assistant
Mark Robert Ellis	....	assistant sports coordinator
Charissa Forth	....	key set production assistant
Rob Frank	....	assistant location manager
Zoila Gomez	....	production coordinator: second unit
Allan Graf	....	football coordinator
Lisa Marie Hill	....	office production assistant (as Lisa M. Hill)
Mike Hold	....	quarterback: football team
Tina Kerr	....	crowd promotions director
Horace Knight	....	running back: football team
Missy Lantz	....	assistant production office coordinator
Wendi Laski	....	unit publicist
April Mackin	....	animal supervisor
Connie McAloney	....	production accountant (as Connie McAloney-Stamos)
Arturo Mendez	....	graphics technician
James Moran	....	key set production assistant
Jennifer Pyecha	....	second assistant accountant
Deedra Ricketts	....	crowd promotions director
James Davis Riggs	....	animal production assistant
Roberta Riordan	....	production assistant
Christopher C. Siegfried	....	wide receiver: football team
Lee Smith	....	security coordinator
Diane Sterling	....	payroll (as Diana Sterling)
Leslie S. Stevens	....	production coordinator
Melinda Taksen	....	script supervisor
Jennifer Tavanese	....	production assistant
Mitch Toles	....	photo double: "The Water Boy"
Amy R. Trachtman	....	production secretary
Connie Wang	....	assistant script clearance administrator
Eli Wolstan	....	assistant: Jack Giarraputo
Tim Ballou	....	script clearance administrator (uncredited)
Peter Menich	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Robert Simonds Productions (as a Robert Simonds/Jack Giarraputo production)
• Touchstone Pictures (presents)
• Waterboy Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Pictures (1998) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (2003) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (1999) (Finland) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (Sweden) (1999) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International Finland (1999) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International Spain (Spain)
• Buena Vista International (2000) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (Japan)
• Filmes Lusomundo (Portugal)
• Gativideo (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (France)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Flash Film Works

Other Companies

• Hollywood Records  soundtrack
• Loop Troop  adr voice casting
• Sportsrobe  costumes

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some crude sexual humor.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

DeLand, Florida, USA

Company:

Robert Simonds Productions

Trivia:

There were two mules trained for this film, Steve and Billy. The mule in the film is Steve. Steve wouldn't "bray excitedly", so when you hear a mule, it is Billy braying.

Goofs:

Continuity: Late in the Bourbon Bowl, the electronic scoreboard shows that the Mud Dogs have two timeouts left. Later in the same half, the scoreboard reads that the Mud Dogs have three timeouts left (which we know can't be right since we see the team call a time-out at least once earlier in the half).

Quotes:

Guy Grenouille: I don't want that loser on the team. Everybody's gonna laugh at us.
Lyle Robideaux: Everybody already 'is' laughing at us. We haven't won a game since nineteen-ninetyFOUR.

Movie Connections:

References Schoolgirls in Chains (1973)

Soundtrack:

Block Rockin' Beats

Another score for Sandler!

It's Adam Sandler. Are we expecting a smart comedy, along the lines of Woody Allen and Albert Brooks? Of course not. But like all his comedies, it works. Some of the jokes are truly lame (not in a funny way), but most of them worked. Sandler helped pen the script, so naturally the humor is cheap and juvenile. But everyone, young and old, has a kid or teenager inside of them that is dying to break out. That explains the success of "There's Something About Mary." I'm sure a movie with such widespread success didn't reach only a young audience. When an old man dressed like Colonel Sanders gets hit in the head by a paperweight, call me immature, but I'm going to laugh out loud! Sandler does a great job at awakening the kid in all of us. It's truly evident that the kid in him is fully awakened.

Honestly, I still prefer Sandler's "Billy Madison" (I will always love that movie!) and "Happy Gilmore," but this is a good one too. I never thought Fairuza Balk was hot, before checking out this film. Anyone who has seen "The Craft" knows damn well she looked horrible! And for good reason--she was playing a witch! Here, she looks hot, and walks around in a lot of skimpy outfits--MMMM! No matter how many times I watch this film, I can't help but crack up at Blake Clark as Farmer Fran. God, what an underrated talent! His main gag is you can't understand what the hell he's saying. Sure, it doesn't sound like much on paper--shows how the timing and execution of a joke can really work wonders. He also made a short appearance in "Joe Dirt," so look for him in that one as well. There are a good deal of notable gags: the Roy Orbison tattoo, Rob Schneider's "You can do it!" character, etc. I can't say this is a subtle comedy that you'll want to check out over and over again to search for jokes you may have missed. To tell the truth, I think the film gets more lame in further viewings. Which is why it's good to watch it once or twice. Don't wear it out, because this kind of comedy can wear out easily--like those supermarket brand AA batteries.

"The Waterboy" is funny, mindless entertainment. I recommend watching it--just read a book afterwards...LOL. Critics have criticized Sandler for lowering viewers' comic standards. Sure, his gags may not be as intelligently crafted as those of the late Marx Brothers or Buster Keaton, but he knows how to make people laugh and I'm not going to fry him for that. Some don't find him funny--and if you don't, I understand. But I'm not going to view Sandler as comedy's Hitler. Believe me, I've seen much worse.

My score: 7 (out of 10)