Jackass Critics

Billy Madison review by Jackass Tom

Why do I laugh?

Sometimes its just the simple things in life. You are a man living in his own filth like me, and you decide to clean the filth one Saturday. Maybe a lady friend is coming over later, maybe you need to find the odd sock, or maybe its just harvest season. The dilemna becomes, what do I do with the TV in the meantime while I'm moving around the apartment? You need to use that background time wisely. I could turn it on and watch cable but I am a cheap-ass and don't have cable (now I lost 99% of you, but follow me...). My only option at this point is to pop in a DVD. I could go with a highly intellectual DVD from my collection but I won't be sitting long enough to enjoy the suble nuances of these films. I need to find myself a "movie". I need something that will give me small gains, and momentary belly laughs. If I spend 5 minutes to Windex my couch pillows, I need instant gratification.

The stupid comedy was created just for a beast like me on cleaning day. Not a screwball comedy but a stupid one. One that not only requires little intelligence but demands it and reflects it in its characters. And what better dumb comedy to watch than.... Billy Madison. Billy Madison was the first successful Adam Sandler vehicle. It proceded the even more sucessful Happy Gilmore ($25 mil to $40 mil), and the deplorable but super-successful Waterboy($160 mil), and still sits as the standard for Adam Sandler's movie-comic-buffoon.

Sandler plays the dopey, man-boy Billy Madison. Billy could drink his way through life on his Hotel mogul father's credit card if he wanted to, (and from the intro, he doesn't seem to object), but the people who create movie plots won't allow it. Instead he decides to prove his intelligence to his father by completing all the grades he bought his way through: K-12. The final prize is running the family business. Let the comedy begin. Madison creates cotton ball snow men in art class. He wins spelling bees. He even plays dodgeball in this joyous celebration of what it was like in the simpler days.

Sure there is a formula here. Its the standard Saturday Night Live "Idiot Hero" formula used in Waynes World, Waynes World 2, and Ladies Man. Billy starts out with modest dreams, is presented with some sort of challenge to accell , gets thwarted momentarily by a goofy villain, but in the end his friends rally him to success beyond any idiot's dreams. Never are these movies believeable, but every once in a while they have enough laughs to keep you coming back for more.

Let me run down the checklist for the SNL formula to work:

• Hotty Girl Friend - This point is covered and thensome. Thank you Bridgette Wilson. The goofball Adam Sandler picks up his thrid grade teacher by acting like he peed his pants. Sure these movies defy all logic, but who wants logic when you are cleaning lint out of your recliner.
• Full of SNL friends-Sandler's cast is filled with many of his SNL friends. My favorite Canadian, Norm MacDonald, plays one of Billy's free loading buddies. Normie gets enough whacked out lines in this movie to keep me happy. Chris Farley plays a mutton-chopped school bus driver. Farley's moments in this film are diamonds each cut to imperfection. Robert Smigel (SNL writer of things like ACE AND GARY) has a bit part.
• A crackpot scheme - Grown man repeating school is bad. But a grown man starting in the 1st grade is just down right loopy. Madison struggles with lower elementary levels but eventually overcomes. If thats not crackpot enough, then you probably need to sober up. Scratch that, you are too sober.
• Crap that doesn't make sense or fit (ie plot filler) - Plenty of that. There is the clown that cracks his head open and returns later during a musical interlude. Billy standing on the stair case after he thinks up his goofball plan, starts hearing Culture Club's I'll Tumble For You. He starts dancing. I am laughing just thinking of it. Former principle used ot be a Revolting Blob wrestler, Steve Buscemi as a homocidal sniper... this movie is filled with odd-ball laughs out of left field.
• Just a mean ole villain with an embarrassing send off - A vice-executive Eric Gordon has his sites set on taking control of the Hotel business. He knows full well that Billy is too moronic to run it himself. He will do anything inside or outside of the law to thwart Billy.
  In the end he gets shot in the butt.
• Our hero improves himself by the end. In the end, not only does he get the girl, but Billy gets direction and maybe realizes he can be... err... intelligent. He lets creepy Carl run the company as his new found intelligence gives him the intelligence to realize he's not intellgent enough for the job. Back to drinking by the pool...

JackassCritics CEO Matt Fuerst is rolling over in his cubicle at such thought. Billy Madison? Well what can I say? I love the occasional stupid movie and am not afraid to admit. If you want to laugh with little use of that ole noggin, Billy Madison shall cure your ails.

7 out of 10 Jackasses blog comments powered by Disqus

Search

Billy Madison

IMDB Link: Billy Madison
DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Extras: Web Links...and that be all!