Billy Madison

First, he was Opera Man, Canteen Boy and Cajun Man. Then, he was Billy Madison. Going off a hot streak from his five years on “Saturday Night Live,” Adam Sandler co-wrote and starred in “Billy Madison” in 1995, a comedy about a 27-year-old slacker who really needs to get his act together. That eventually happens when Billy’s father, hotel manager Brian Madison (Darren McGavin), who threatens to hand his business over to vice president (Bradley Whitford) if Billy doesn’t straighten himself out.

To prove that he’s responsible enough to take over his father’s business, Billy agrees to go back to school and complete grades one through twelve, the grades he originally passed only because Billy’s father paid off the teachers, within six months. On his mission, he meets several helpful elementary school kids, a gay principal who was once a professional wrestler (Josh Mostel), a disturbed school bus driver (Chris Farley), and the drop-dead gorgeous Ms. Veronica Vaughn, Billy’s third-grade teacher (Bridgette Wilson).

Jamey Codding said in his review, “It's not the most complicated story out there, and it's certainly not the most mature selection you're going to find on the Blockbuster shelves, yet somehow Sandler and the rest of the cast make it work.” Billy is instantly lovable and the villain, Eric Gordon, is just as despicable, and if a film really has you cheering for the protagonist and against the antagonist, then it’s doing something right. The script also includes so many successful jokes and memorable scenes like Billy’s hysterical dodgeball game on his first day of school, and you’ve got a movie that’s funnier than it should be.

For many people, films like “Billy Madison” is on the list that is near the top of “guilty pleasures.” Codding asks, “Is it sophomoric? Yes. Is it silly? Absolutely. Is it stupid? On more than one occasion. But it's also funny and, some would argue, even endearing.”

I remember seeing a little bit of the movie a long time ago, which including the cursive scene, but I didn’t see the rest of the movie until way later. I know that people give Adam Sandler a hard time and say that a lot of his movies are horrible, but I still find every single one of his movies funny. I know his movie are childish and can get gross, but I still like them, especially this one. You should see it, especially if you want to see Sandler and Farley work off of one another, especially since this came out after Farley passed away. See it in his memory.

Check out next week when I look at the last Farley movie that also came out after he passed away in the finale of “Chris Farley Month.”