Billy Madison

Adam Sandler’s first leading role in “Billy Madison” couldn’t have been stupider, and I mean that in a good way. Here’s a film that embraces its silliness so completely that I had no option but to enjoy it.

In short, Sandler plays Billy Madison, the over-indulged son of a hotel tycoon, played by Darren McGavin (remember Ralphie’s dad from “The Christmas Story,”). Billy has to convince his father he’s not a spoiled moron (which he most certainly is) so that he can inherit the family business.

There are a lot of “What the…,” moments. Pay attention or you’ll miss the party scene where there’s a quick shot of a child sitting on a sprinkler squealing with delight. The shot is less than a second which makes it that much sillier. Or what about the line from the old lady on the field trip who says, “If peeing your pants in cool, consider me Miles Davis”, I’d love to meet whoever wrote that line and shake their hands.

The cast of characters is twisted and some talented comedic actors are given the opportunity to do something a little different, a little darker without going too close to the edge (All I’m going to say is the thirty seconds of Steve Buscemi is awesome!).

As with any comedy, it’s not about what happens in the end, it’s what happens on the way. The filmmakers took extra effort to explore any moment that could be funnier and added nuances and flourishes to make “Billy Madison” start-to-finish funny.