One of Adam Sandler’s best movies, Billy Madison is the utterly hilarious film that sparked Sandler’s long reign as a rom-com box office attraction. Exhibiting a sharp wit, combined with a touch of sensibility for the fairer sex, the former Saturday Night Live standout successfully steps out of the way of raunchy, gritty comedy and creates a nice middle ground between outrageous and light-hearted comedy. It’s a path he would later follow with blockbusters Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy and Mr. Deeds. In Billy Madison, follow that same path to perfection…
Billy Madison follows the life of a character of the same name (Adam Sandler), an unemployed 27-year-old heir to a hotel fortune who lacks any ambition. The opening scenes capture Billy lying by the pool with his friends, hungover and completely out of his mind, and set the tone for a film filled with humorous antics and great one-liners. But Billy’s life of laziness is turned upside down when his father (Darren McGavin) decides that he will retire from his multi-million dollar hotel empire. He names his arrogant and condescending assistant Eric Gordon (Bradley Whitford) as seems self-evident. The appointment surprises Billy, who thought he would automatically inherit the reins from him when his father retired. But when Billy’s father reveals that he paid all of Billy’s teachers from kindergarten through high school to give his son a passing grade, the young man begins to understand why. Billy quickly offers his father a deal: if he can pass grades K-12 again, he will inherit control of the hotel empire after all. His father agrees.
As Billy goes through each grade, he meets a number of new friends, mostly third graders. He also falls in love with his beautiful third-grade teacher, Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson), who is quick to condemn Billy as lazy, self-centered, and screw-up. However, she later recognizes his sensitivity and special way with children, and also develops an interest in him. Also interested in Billy is gay elementary school principal Max Anderson (Josh Mostel). When Eric Gordon sees that Billy is going to pass every grade, he blackmails Principal Anderson. If Anderson doesn’t show up on TV and tell the world that Billy paid him for a passing grade, he’ll tell everyone about Anderson’s hidden past as a pro wrestler named “The Revolting Blob” who accidentally killed another wrestler in the ring. .
When Billy’s elementary school friends come to his aid, it is determined that Billy and Eric will fight for control of the hotel empire through an “academic decathlon”. Now, only Billy’s wits can win him what he most desires…
Billy Madison is a movie with several funny scenes. In one such scene, a third grader accidentally “pees his pants” and is afraid to get on the bus during a field trip. Sandler splashes some water on his pants and tells the other kids that “peeing your pants is great”! thus saving the child from shame. In another scene, Billy calls his former classmate Danny McGrath (Steve Buscemi) to apologize for picking on him when he was a kid. After the phone call, Danny crosses Billy off his master “people to kill” list. Later, Danny comes to Billy’s aid.
Overall this is a fun movie. If you like light-hearted comedy with just a hint of outrageous behavior, then you’ll enjoy this smash hit from Adam Sandler. Billy Madison won’t be on anyone’s list of the greatest Academy Award-winning cinematic masterpieces of all time, but it’s just as entertaining as any movie. That’s why I classify it as an unmissable movie. Make sure to check it out…