Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Adam Sandler is nothing if not loyal. You can tell by the group of pals who appear in all his films. So when his Happy Madison Productions launched in 1999, it was fitting that its first film, “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” starred buddy Rob Schneider. Either that, or Sandler took one look at Rob’s script and said, “I’m not doing it. You do it.” Anyway, Schneider’s a lowly aquarium technician who gets in a financial bind and resorts to man-whoring. Hijinks ensue. Typical of Sandler-style comedy, the intended big laughs are all cringeworthy while the small asides are hilariously witty.

“The Waterboy” (1998) is one of Adam Sandler’s better movies (I know to some of you, that’s damning him with faint praise). It’s funny, it has a plot and there’s some nicely drawn characters. The music’s even good. It also doesn’t have the underlying nastiness that a lot of recent comedies have. Jerry Reed is uncanny as a Bobby Bowdenesque coach. Also, waterboy-turned-linebacker Sandler leads his team to a victory over Clemson University (always a plus). And one of the opposing quarterbacks is played by Mike Hold, a hero of the University of South Carolina’s legendary 1984 season (bigger plus).