Day 19 - Billy Madison

<<

40th Celebration

>>

Let this title serve as proof that a movie doesn't necessarily have to be some Oscar-worthy masterpiece in order to be considered a "favourite". This is another one that ties into the nostalgic factor quite a bit but has since become a go-to if I'm ever in need of a good laugh. It's kind of remarkable how many boxes this one ticks off as far as my taste in comedy is concerned. It's extremely random, it's extremely quotable, and it's often even a little dark just so it can get an unexpected laugh. For the record, I do find that between this and 'Happy Gilmore', it's the latter that seems to get more attention. That's perfectly understandable, and I still like that one almost just as much, but 'Billy Madison', so help me, is something I just tend to laugh through more.

Now, I think it's safe to say that there are probably a bunch of people reading this who are raising their eyebrows in confusion at this as, after all, it's really just a goofy Adam Sandler comedy - something I'm actually not all that fond of, for the most part, as it's worn thin over the years. After you see Sandler do drama and do it well, it's hard not to route for him to be flexing his acting muscles beyond these silly antics. But for yours truly, this just kind of marks a certain point in time in my life. I was 12 years old when this came out, and between SNL and his album, 'They're All Gonna Laugh at You', Sandler (along with other SNL mainstays at the time) was all the rage for us kids. It was rude, goofy, edgy humour and it was almost like something we were getting away with listening to/watching.

Then along comes Sandler's first starring role in 'Billy Madison' which was rated PG-13, which meant it was going to be far easier to get into than a lot of us expected. His albums probably could have been R-rated if they were skits on video, so there would have been no chance, otherwise (they used to be far more strict about that sort of thing). I can still remember going with a friend and I'm fairly sure that, right up to now, that was the most I've ever laughed through a movie. I'm sure others have come close, but the humour contained within this movie is so off-the-wall ridiculous, random and stupid that, even though I might not say it's a "good movie", it is definitely a good time, especially when you check it out with the right friends.

I think that if this was a new thing today, it probably wouldn't fly quite as well as it did in 1995. The plot, itself, involves a grown man being given the opportunity to go from first grade through twelfth grade all over again in order to prove himself to his father and take over his father's company. All you really need to take away from that is the concept of a grown man going through grade school with other grade school kids and there could potentially be a creepy factor to this. Hell, at one point Billy starts whipping dodgeballs at kids, and this has since caused controversy considering those hits were all very real. So it's another movie I really enjoy that has something negative attached to it, and there's honestly no shortage of those if you just do a quick Google search.

One interesting thing to think about with this movie is just wondering what ever happened to any of these kids. I don't think a single one, even anyone with a good amount of dialogue, went on to do anything else (of course, I could be wrong). It would be interesting now to see if any of them went on to continue acting in some perhaps lesser-known movies or perhaps continued on to become successful doctors, lawyers, teachers, or whatever else. Either way, you've got to give a bunch of these kids credit for adding to the comedy here, and now probably have a single quote from the film following them around for life, like "you've got a misshaped head", or, in the case of a handful of them, the same "O'Doyle rules!" line.

​Going back to what I mentioned before about this being released in my generation's peak SNL era, the film is certainly not complete without its share of SNL cameos. The two featured here mainly happen to be the late Chris Farley as the field trip bus driver, and the late Norm MacDonald as one of Billy's drinking buddy friends who just kind of hangs out at Billy's mansion. Both of those guys were once lords of comedy, and this was a good place to see when either of them was sort of at their peak - especially Farley, as he passed much sooner than MacDonald, who went on until only just last year. Their respective passings have really only really made me appreciate the movie more through their respective characters.

Another thing this movie has going for it on a personal level is that it's one of the only movies I could probably get a passing grade on if given any sort of test about its quotes. In fact, I'd likely ace it, as this is something I can almost quote from beginning to end without much effort, and even adding emphasis on the delivery of the lines, complete with tone etc. So yeah, you could say that this has been a mainstay comedy I've held close to my heart since its release. Not everyone is going to like it, and in fact, I think a hell of a lot of people would think it's just plain stupid. But this is a case where the stupidity of it all is basically what you're meant to be laughing at. It's a film that doesn't take itself seriously at all, and in order to truly enjoy it, no one else should either. Just have fun and enjoy the whacky good time of classic Sandler.

---