The Waterboy Directed by Frank Coraci

In the slapstick comedy "The Waterboy" Directed by Frank Coraci, staring Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, and more, a great opportunity arises for an "mommas boy" who is unbeknownst to the rest of the nation. The film, released in 1998 with a budget of 23 million USD, details the life of Bobby Boucher, a man who is deemed to be a helpless case by society who relies on his mother for every aspect of life. Rather than blindly following his mothers guidance for the rest of his life however, he finds his own calling in the sport of football, a calling which brings him further in his than anyone thought imaginable.

The movie, despite being a comedy with over dramatized events and an unrealistic story line, the movie highlights the struggle of self identity and public opinion faced by every person. An outcast from society Bobby is deemed too stupid to successfully do anything with his life and is stuck being the water boy for a local college football team. Believing his whole life that his father died of dehydration while serving in the peace corps he makes it his life mission to ensure that clean drinkable water be available to anyone in need. It is in this passion for serving others that he finds his new calling in life, his calling of playing linebacker for the same local college team he has been water boy for since his teenage years. This love for football must be kept hidden from his mother however, as she sees football as the "devils sport". Fearing for his safety and wishing for her son to forever be her baby, she refuses to let Bobby play football and even attend college. This love for football expands into Bobby's personal life as he is able to reunite with his new love Vicki Vallencourt who despite having a less than stellar past is now turning her life around and trying to follow a better path. Due to his upbringing and being informally home schooled by his mother, Bobby is found to be ineligible for his beloved college football and unable to continue his monstrous tear as the nations most feared linebacker. Bobby's coach, Coach Klein is able to get the NCAA to allow Bobby to play if he can pass a GED exam. Doubting not only himself but those who fought to help him better his life Bobby feels that he could never pass and is already hated by the nation for falsifying documents in order to cheat the system. Coach Klein is able to convince Bobby to take the exam claiming he can show everyone that doubts him that he is not the town idiot he is made out to be and there is more to him than simply tackling someone in a game of football. After passing his test with a score of a 97, Bobby's mother suddenly catches an unforeseen illness, one which Bobby believes his deceit and lies have caused. This guilt causes Bobby to keep from returning to football and aiding her back to health. It is in his mothers illness that Bobby learns the real past of his parents and the reason for his mothers extremely strict raising of him. While pregnant with Bobby, Roberto, Bobby's father, left Helen for a voodoo priestess in New Orleans. This loss of Roberto causes her to become paranoid and fears that one day her son will run away leaving her with no one to care for her. Seeing how much football means to Bobby and how much it has benefited the community she allows him to go play in the national game. Arriving at half time Bobby finds his beloved team losing 27-0. Refusing to accept failure Bobby leads his team to a 30-27 victory upsetting their undefeated rivals. This great performance by Sandler is perhaps the best of his career and one that embodies the American Dream of achieving the impossible.

Despite this heartwarming movie not being well received by critics getting only a score of 35 on rotten tomatoes, it is a crowd favorite at 71 overall score from audiences. This movie despite all opinions should go down as Sandlers best and perhaps one of the best comedies produced in recent years. Not only does it express the fear of finding ones true calling in life, combined with fitting into a niche in society, it does so in a comedic way. This touching story reaches the hearts of millions in a lighthearted way that is easy to relate to.

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