Billy Madison (1995)

Release Date: February 10. 1995


What's It About: Billy Madison is the heir to a vast hotel company, but he is a lazy, dimwitted underachiever who never finished


The Good: Basically one of the funniest movies ever. Every character is virtually a riot and finds their own place in the film, and scenes do not go without a joke of some sort. These range from the absurd (a shampoo bottle and a conditioner bottle engaging in warfare in a bath tub), to the downright ridiculous (chasing a giant penguin that in a golf cart that Billy sees in his hallucinations while picking up pornography magazines at the mailbox). The other characters are good too, including several of Billy's classmates, some of whom have small arcs of their own. The film isn't without heart, though, and always means its best. It has positive messages of friendship and loyalty, and these are easy to miss under the sheer bluntness of the film's humor.


The Bad: One should not try to view these films from a story or filmmaking perspective. The plots are primarily tools with which to showcase Sandler's character, as he is the engine of nearly all its humor. That said, the rest of the film cannot be ignored. It's quite terrible. The plot makes no sense, and sometimes the jokes will go over your head, and in today's culture of political correctness, the casual misogyny and use of terms like 'retard' will not go over well. One scene involves a teacher stripping a piece of clothing for Billy every time he answers a trivia question correctly.


Best Performance: Adam Sandler as Billy Madison. He has all the acting range of a lamppost, but he does so with such verve. Sandler plays the role both straight and with a bit of a wink, since he is quite self-aware that he is playing a character in an absurd situation with even more absurd stakes. He is both funny and easy to love, since he isn't all an idiot. A particular scene involves Billy intentionally wetting his pants with water to cover for one of his friends, who had actually wet his pants.


Should I Watch It: This one is arguably the funniest of the 90s Adam Sandler films, and the one that launched the 'series' that also includes Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, Big Daddy and Little Nicky. If you're a fan of abrasive 90s toilet humor and constant innuendo, then these films are right up your alley. Billy Madison is highly memorable and features plenty of quotable content. If you're unfamiliar with these films, the first time will leave you reeling.


Post-Credits Scene: No


Similar Films: Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998), Big Daddy (1999)


Trailer: