Billy Madison

1995 "To inherit his family's fortune, Billy is going back to school... Way back."
6.3| 1h30m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 10 February 1995 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Billy Madison is the 27 year-old son of Bryan Madison, a very rich man who has made his living in the hotel industry. Billy stands to inherit his father's empire, but only if he can make it through all 12 grades, 2 weeks per grade, to prove that he has what it takes to run the family business.

... View More
Stream Online

Stream with Prime Video

Director

Producted By

Universal Pictures

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
rogerdozier I love this movie and I watch it all the time to cheer myself up so why the complaints.. take it for what it is, and for all you people that don't like it just remember Adam was able to make a production company from this and Happy Gilmore so hate all you want this is still a great comedy
ivko Billy (Adam Sandler), an adult who lives his life as an obnoxious man-child, is told by his father that he will not inherit the family hotel business unless he can pass grades one to twelve in a giant three month sprint. It's not clear what this will prove, exactly, since the problem his father is trying to avoid is putting someone unqualified in charge of thousands of employees, but that's the premise so whatever.The villain of the movie is played by Bradley Whitford, who wants to take over the company himself and says mean things to Billy (usually after Billy has said something obnoxious or weird to him). We're supposed to root for Billy, despite his objectively anti-social behavior: he and his friends leave burning bags of feces on neighbors porches, play games that involve throwing food at restaurant walls to see which item will fall first, and grabs a woman's breasts on a dare, even after correctly identifying it as assault. In general, he behaves like a bored member of medieval royalty torturing the peasants for amusement, but just listen to those funny voices!Of course, everyone knows that Billy will win in the end and get the girl, because we are supposed to identify with his sense of childlike whimsy and know that his crimes don't count because there's no malice behind them. It's a depressing message because it supports the idea that our society should be divided into castes and we need to accept that Billy is from the rich and powerful caste and should stay there.Billy, by every conceivable standard, does not deserve and is not qualified to control the fate of thousands of people. Eric, Whitford's character, is a jerk. But a jerk who put in his time and is already quasi-performing the job of running the company. And presumably he is doing it well enough that the owner views him as a good replacement despite the animosity he clearly has for his own son.But the message is that despite that Billy should be put in charge anyway because of his family name, regardless of his behavior and the legitimate possibility that he is suffering breaks from reality (he sporadically hallucinates a giant penguin that he chases and has bizarre, unhinged conversations with).The other message, only slightly less depressing, is that money fixes all problems. Want everyone to like you, even after you've treated them poorly? Buy them expensive gifts. Did you make a waste of your life? No problem, just buy a second chance and force your way into school with other, less rich, people's kids. Who cares if you're disruptive to their education? They only exist to teach you life lessons and build up your self-esteem.In the end, I think that maybe I'm just not the right audience. For one, I'm way to old to even be in the vicinity of the target demographic for this film. I would never have even watched it but for a younger relative of mine who wanted to see it (and did enjoy it). But I also just don't enjoy this kind of humor. Sandler has tons of fans who idolize this movie as one of his greatest, so it's safe to say it's at least partially just me.Still, none of this probably matters. There's little point to worrying about the message this movie is sending; it's over two decades old and, young movie buffs aside, is hardly influencing the current generation. I enjoy writing reviews so I thought I'd add my take, but really I doubt many will even read this review among the thousands of reviews already written. If you enjoy really silly humor and simple plots, you might enjoy this film, otherwise it's probably best to just pass.
EBJ Overall: It's an entertaining flick which is probably worth a one time watch if you don't mind Sandler Style.Good: It is entertaining at stages and the acting is quite well done, with the maid and the headmaster being my personal favorite characters. The premise is fun and decently handled. It's a nice, warm plot that does what it needs. I didn't notice anything special about the music or the cinematography.Bad: This is the kicker for many; it's an Adam Sandler movie. It hits every nail on the head and you can wash that down with some of Sandler's signature style. It is one of his better movies but that isn't saying much. The ending is also predictable and illogical for his father.Best Part: The continuous reign of flirting from the maid to Sandler is funny, a tad bit stereotypical but doesn't get old.6/10
Predrag Billy Madison is a typical Adam Sandler film, not the greatest plot but a barrel of laughs, if you like any other Sandler film i.e. Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky etc. then you will love this comedy. Billy Madison is the dim-witted son to the head of the Madison hotel chain, for years Billy had been told he will take over the company when his father retires, however after getting drunk & attempting to chase an imaginary penguin he embarrasses his father in front of all his associates at a dinner in the Madison household. Billy's father tells him that he will not be getting the company in preference of the evil Eric. Eric is mostly seen with Carl, another associate of Billy's dad whom he likes. Billy pitches an idea where he can go back to school, complete all grades in 2 week periods in order to win back the company.Billy Madison is a movie with a number of hilarious 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 throws some water on his pants and tells the other children that "peein' in your pants is cool"! thus saving the child from embarrassment. In another scene, Billy calls ex-classmate Danny McGrath (Steve Buscemi) to apologize for picking on him as a kid. After the phone call, Danny crosses Billy off of his master list of "people to kill". Later, Danny comes to Billy's aid. Overall, this is a fun movie. If you like lighthearted comedy with just a touch of outrageous behavior, then you'll enjoy this breakout Adam Sandler hit.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.