Themes: Arrested Adolescence, Fish Out of Water, Inheritance at Stake
Main Cast: Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson, Bradley Whitford, Josh Mostel
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Master of infantilism Adam Sandler stars as the title character, an overgrown rich kid who wiles away his days poolside, swilling kegs of beer and appreciating fine nudie magazines such as "Drunk Chicks" -- that is, until his father (Darren McGavin) decides to test his mettle as future head of the family business by posing a challenge: retake and pass grades K-12 in 24 weeks or watch control of the business pass to the requisite conniving underling (Bradley Whitford). Forced into action, Billy vows to change his drunken ways. He enrolls in kindergarten, makes new friends, pelts pint-sized kids with playground balls and develops a love interest in a pretty teacher (Bridgitte Wilson). The action culminates in an academic showdown between Billy and the purportedly Harvard-educated underling for the future of the family enterprise -- no small feat for a man fresh out of the first grade. There's gross, moronic, off-color low humor galore in Billy Madison, particularly in one subplot involving a romantically forward elementary school principal (Josh Mostel, son of theater great Zero Mostel) and his secret former life as a professional wrestler; another scene includes the hypertense school bus driver (Chris Farley, in a typical over-the-top cameo) lying in the meadow with a hallucinatory penguin. As one might suspect, Billy Madison is not for every taste; Sandler fans will laugh from start to finish; others beware. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
Review
Assuming top billing for the first time in this willfully stunted comedy, Adam Sandler unleashed the soon-familiar persona that would widely divide moviegoers but provide indisputable results at the box office for years to come. Here was born the debate about whether Sandler is a lowbrow comic genius or a moronic gadfly signifying the end of good taste and intelligence as we know it. For those able to give themselves over to its sophomoric charms, Billy Madison is a knee-slapping celebration of a spoiled idiot who learns decency from a gaggle of children who wet their pants at recess. Sure, Sandler is over the top -- in fact, he's so far over it that it's nowhere in sight. But that's the point in this movie, in which Sandler is essentially the mean-spirited version of Tom Hanks' character in Big, throwing tantrums appropriate to someone of his underdeveloped intellect. It's hard to resist Sandler when he yells, "You blew it!" in his trademark guttural shout after his eight-year-old friend botches a phone conversation with his crush. The reverse shot shows the young boy grinning in spite of himself, suggesting that children accept Sandler as he is, a ridiculous but ultimately harmless clown, and perhaps they're the best judges of character. Those who want Sandler to be something other than an intense, bellowing man-child -- or just wish he would go away -- aren't the intended audience, anyway. Simpatico supporting turns by Norm McDonald, Steve Buscemi, and Chris Farley provide either more giggles for the willing or more ammo for the obstinate. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Mark Beltzman - Jack; Steve Buscemi - Danny McGrath; Claire Cellucci - Attractive Lady; Chris Farley - O'Doyle the Bus Driver; Larry Hankin - Carl Alphonse; Helen Hughes - 2nd Grade Teacher; Tex Konig - Crazy Person; Theresa Merritt - Juanita; Lawrence Nakamura - Lawn Guy; Gladys O'Connor - Tour Guide; Allison Robinson - Newswoman; Justin Williams - 3rd Grader; Colin Smith - O'Doyle (Grade 9); Joyce Gordon - Lunch Lady; Benjamin Barrett - Tenth Grader; Marcia Bennett - 4th Grade Teacher; Amos Crawley - Rod; Diane Douglass - Nurse; Matthew Ferguson - Tenth Grader; Hrant Alianak - Pete; Jack Mather - Clemens; Norm MacDonald - Frank
Credit
Gordon M. Barnes - Art Director, Jack Giarraputo - Associate Producer, Deirdre Bowen - Casting, Jaki Brown-Karman - Casting, Todd Thaler - Casting, David Vaughan - First Assistant Director, Martin Walters - First Assistant Director, Tamra Davis - Director, Jeffery Wolf - Editor, Fitch Cady - Executive Producer, Randy Edelman - Composer (Music Score), Allan Byer - Musical Direction/Supervision, Harald Ortenburger - Camera Operator, Perry Andelin Blake - Production Designer, Victor Hammer - Cinematographer, Robert Simonds - Producer, Enrico Campana - Set Designer, Adam Sandler - Screenwriter, Tim Herlihy - Screenwriter
27-year-old Billy Madison (Adam Sandler) has spent his entire life reaping the benefits of his father's hotel chain. He spends his days drinking with friends Jack (Mark Beltzman) and Frank (Norm Macdonald), and creating disturbances across his father's estate. One day, Billy ruins a dinner meeting between his father, Brian (Darren McGavin), and his associates by acting obnoxiously. This prompts his father to lose any remaining faith in his son, and he chooses the conniving Eric Gordon (Bradley Whitford) to become the next chief of the hotel. When Billy protests that he can be responsible, Brian reveals that he secretly bribed Billy's school teachers to pass his son. Billy, who despises Eric, begs his father to reconsider his decision. The two finally come to a compromise; Billy must pass elementary, junior high, and high school on his own within the course of twenty-four weeks (two weeks per grade), in order to prove his competence.
Shortly after enrolling into school, Billy becomes attracted to a third grade teacher named Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson), who initially attempts to ignore him. Nevertheless, Billy successfully progresses through his first two grades. He eventually finds himself as one of Vaughn's students and earns her respect by defending Ernie, his friend and classmate. Billy becomes popular among the third graders, and misses them as he advances through school. Billy's development and progression alarms Eric, who becomes increasingly agitated as Billy completes each grade. Eric takes the offensive while Billy struggles in high school. He visits Billy's grade schoolprincipal, Max Anderson (Josh Mostel), and threatens to reveal his past as a professional wrestler in which he accidentally caused the death of another man while performing a stunt. Coerced, Max publicly states he took bribes from Billy in return for passing him to the next grade.
The announcement angers Brian, who chooses to give the hotel chain to Eric. Billy becomes distraught, and reverts to his original care-free lifestyle. Veronica and others come to Billy's aid, convincing him to keep fighting Eric. He returns to school and begins to study again, however, Billy realizes that he must reclaim the hotel chain. His grade school friends visit Max at his home and convince him to retract his accusations. With Billy's named cleared, Brian argues to Eric that Billy deserves another chance, but Eric disagrees and threatens to file a lawsuit. Billy challenges Eric to an academic decathlon that will determine his father's successor. Although both men excel in different activities, Billy manages to take a single-point lead before the contest's final event, a Jeopardy!-style academic test. The game progresses and Eric is given the chance to answer a question, and potentially win the contest. However, he is asked to answer a question about business ethics, which he has no concept of, and begins to break down. Refusing to admit defeat, he brandishes a gun at Billy. Max, clad in his wrestling outfit, subdues Eric. The attack fails to keep Eric down, and he makes a final attempt to get back at Billy by turning his gun on Veronica. Fortunately, rifle-wielding madman Danny McGrath (Steve Buscemi), whom Billy apologized to earlier in the film for bullying in school, disables Eric by firing a single shot into his buttocks. Later, at Billy's graduation, he announces that he will pass the hotel business on to Carl Alphonse (Larry Hankin), one of his father's more polite businessmen, and will attend college with hopes of becoming a teacher.
The film earned poor reviews when first being released, Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times commented; "Sandler has a bad habit of thinking he is funnier than we do". In At the Movies, Siskel and Ebert gave the film a very bad review, and said of Sandler "...Not an attractive screen presence, he might have a career as a villain or a fall guy or the butt of a joke, but as the protagonist his problem is he creates the fingernails on the blackboard" with Siskel adding "...you don't have a good motivation for the character's behavior". Rotten Tomatoes reports that based on the 34 reviews counted, 41% of critics gave the film a positive review.[1] Despite being panned by critics, it has sold well on VHS and DVD.[citation needed]
