The Waterboy
A ridiculed Louisiana waterboy discovers he can become a football hero, provided he can escape his mother’s suffocating control.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- absurd
- crude
- cheerful
- lazy sunday
- sports movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the broad Louisiana sports farce formulaic and grating, though some acknowledged its good-hearted energy and occasional comic charm.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bobby Boucher moves from ridiculed college football waterboy to celebrated star after his tackling ability is discovered.
Bobby must conceal his football career from Mama Boucher, whose domineering rules govern his life.
The film places its football and family comedy in Louisiana and heightens the setting through its unusual local characters and humor.
Bobby’s powerful tackling ability transforms his position as a socially awkward outcast.
Films like The Waterboy, and why
Happy Gilmore
broad physical comedy, outsider protagonists, and an underdog sports structure
Billy Madison
adam sandler vehicle built around crude gags, eccentric characters, and a determined social misfit
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
feel-good underdog comedy centered on an unlikely athlete and heightened comic performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank Coraci
- Release Date
- 1998-11-06
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (2109)
Cast
- Adam Sandler
- Kathy Bates
- Henry Winkler
- Fairuza Balk
- Jerry Reed
- Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
- Blake Clark
- Peter Dante
- Jonathan Loughran
- Al Whiting
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow, USA Network, TNT, TBS, tru TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Waterboy about?
- A ridiculed Louisiana waterboy discovers he can become a football hero, provided he can escape his mother’s suffocating control.
- What is The Waterboy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Waterboy as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Waterboy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Waterboy as mild.
- What did critics think of The Waterboy?
- Critics broadly found the broad Louisiana sports farce formulaic and grating, though some acknowledged its good-hearted energy and occasional comic charm.
- Which films are like The Waterboy?
- Films with a similar feel include Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.
- How long is The Waterboy?
- The Waterboy runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Waterboy?
- In United States, The Waterboy streams on Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow, USA Network, TNT, TBS, tru TV.
