Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Adam Sandler almost legitimized his brand of goofy comedy with 1998's The Wedding Singer. Then the following year, the comedian came out with The Waterboy -- insert your battleship explosion noise here.

Not only did this film make moviegoers think twice about Sandler as an actor, but there are plenty of people that find him downright revolting for these on-screen antics. If you're one of those that think he's responsible for the downfall of the American cinema, The Waterboy will not disappoint. Little Nicky aside, Sandler's Bobby Boucher delivers one of the most annoying voices in the history of film.

He's also one of the dumbest characters we've seen. Raised in the swamps of Louisiana by his overprotective mama (Kathy Bates, the Oscar winner!), Bobby doesn't have much of a brain, but he does have passion -- for water.

So he spends much of his life doling out the wet stuff to the University of Louisiana Cougars football team. After years of verbal abuse, Cougars' head coach Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed) fires Bobby and he takes his services to a lesser team, the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs. Even though the new crop is a crazy bunch of losers themselves, they continue the abusive streak, until the coach (Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz) tells Bobby he'd better learn to stand up for himself. Within minutes, Bobby opens up "a can of whoop-ass" using 18 or more years of pent-up rage, and soon becomes the team's star linebacker.

Idiocy aside, Sandler has a knack for making the goofy underdog work. He did it with Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and almost every other role he's had since. And I must admit, there are laughs in this film. There are also plenty of familiar faces, since Sandler has the tendency to hire his buddies, which includes Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Blake Clark and Rob Schneider. That and the voice could cloud your comedic judgment, and we would not blame you one bit. Still, apparently quite a few people didn't mind, because the movie took in over $185 million at the box office.

The Picture

It's not exactly "high-quality H2O," but this 1.85:1 transfer does deliver some surprising images throughout. The Waterboy may stretch the definition of the sports genre, but like most of those movies, this one sees its best shots on the field. Most colors are bold, with extra bright blues, especially in uniforms (which also feature some eye-popping oranges), water cups and Sandler's suit. Also, many of the fleshtones are right on, suggesting the southern fried crispiness of the Louisiana sun.

The Sound

Like the video, this release's DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack sees most of the action on the field. Every time Bobby tackles an opponent (or his professor), the subwoofer and surrounds provide a nice loud boom for the room. Other than that, the games aren't all that thrilling, even during the scenes where actual crowds are in the stands. The only other real surround action you can expect is during the film's many classic rock tracks -- a trademark of most Sandler outings.

The Extras

With all of the goofiness going on in this film, there weren't any bloopers or outtakes? Apparently not, because this release features absolutely nothing in the way of bonus material.

Final Thoughts

"You can do it!" -- but you might not want to. The Waterboy on Blu-ray delivers a better transfer than what we've seen in the past. Does that make it right? Probably not. More than 10 years after its original release, the movie still packs a few sacks to the funnybone. However, without extras, only the true Sandler fan would be a repeat customer on this one.

Product Details

• Actors: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reid, Henry Winkler, Slint Howard, Rob Schneider
• Director: Frank Coraci
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Spanish)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13
• Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: August 4, 2009
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• List Price: $39.99

Where to Buy:

• The Waterboy on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)