The Waterboy

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Moviegoers ignored reviews of The Waterboy and took in the movie en masse, making its $39.1 million opening weekend take the highest-grossing November and December opening in history. Bayou waterboy Bobby Boucher (Sandler) has endured an emasculating mother (Bates) and the barbs of the football team for years. When he gets fired from his job and then hired at a less prestigious school by a paternal coach (Winkler), who encourages Bobby to stand up for himself, the 31-year-old unleashes a talent for tackling and becomes the team's star player. Bobby's idiocy and the Bates' backwoods mama provide the fodder for the few lowbrow laughs.