Sandler plays a lazy, slightly retarded Billy Madison who is the son of a multi-millionaire hotel owner, and since leaving high school has spend his days getting drunk with two dimwits he calls friends, and setting fire to bags of dog poo that he leaves on the porches of neighbours that he doesn't really like very much. However when his father reveals that he is retairing and will be leaving the company to a very annoying executive, Billy decides to go back to school and prove that he can manage a business. The fact that after completing each grade he gets a huge party with a fair etc etc, probably helps him along the way. Third grade comes a big shock to Billy, as he not only makes a whole class of new friends, but also finds that he teacher is no other than the beautiful Bridgette Wilson, who plays Veronica Vaughn.

The nasty executive, Eric, starts to worry that maybe his dream of running the company is slipping through his grubby little fingers and so blackmails the principle to say that Billy payed him in order to compete each grade. When Billy's father finds out he is furious and is about to give the company to Eric when Billy challenges him to a 'educational decathalon' and the winner will win the company.

If it was anyone else playing the role of Billy Madison, other than Sandler, this film would be a complete flop and not really worth a light, but when its Adam Sandler acting like a complete childish fool, for example chasing huge penguins about on a quad bike and farting in class, its ok and the audiences always seem to accept it and come back to the cinemas time and time again wanting more.

Overall, Billy Madison is a nice little film, which although isn't family viewing, teenages and adults are sure to enjoy the slapstick comedy and i recommend that you watch it several times in order to get the full amount of fun and enjoyment that this film has to offer. As i said before, not his best attempt, but still a treat for Sandler fans, or comedy fans in general.

Truly awful
Review date: 2004-05-02 Rating: 2 out of 10

Maybe I don't 'get' Adam Sandler but I didn't find films like The Waterboy too bad - this however is a truly awful film with a two-minute appearance by Steve Buscemi the only slight redeeming feature.

Adam Sandler plays the Billy Madison of the title who has to repeat school in order to inherit his fathers hotel business. Yes the plot is paper-thin but that's expected from this type of film, usually the jokes make up for that. However, jokes are very thin on the ground here, submerged in long periods of Adam Sandler simply acting childish, and those that there are - well the fact that he has gone back to school should give you an indication of the level of humour. Stupid voices and fart noises in class are about all you're going to get here.

If I could give this film 0 stars I would - avoid!

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