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The Waterboy (Blu-ray Review)

Disney / Buena Vista | 1998 | 90 mins | Rated PG-13

The Waterboy Blu-ray Review

Of all the young talents who found their footing on the Cosby Show, I doubt anyone looked at the twenty-something actor playing Theo's denim-clad pal Smitty and said, "that kid's going to be huge one day." Yet here we are. Adam Sandler, he of Saturday Night Live legend and Happy Madison Productions fame, may have been Smitty in 1987, but today he's a legitimate star; a successful actor/writer/producer/comedian/entrepreneur extraordinaire whose films have grossed more than 2.5 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. So how did a relative unknown become one of Hollywood's lucrative heavyweights? How did he make his way from back-alley clubs to the stomping grounds of LA's rich and famous? With a little bit of patience, a lot of good fortune, and a parade of bumbling manchildren like The Waterboy's Bobby Boucher.

Video



The Waterboy features a satisfying 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that, despite a few persistent issues, looks pretty good for a ten-year-old catalog title. Steven Bernstein's palette is definitely overcooked -- sun-ripened skintones dominate the image and primaries are quite overbearing at times -- but it serves the sweltering Louisiana heat well. As a result, the Cougars' orange and blue uniforms pop against the green field, and overall dimensionality is commendable. Detail is slightly inconsistent from shot to shot, but generally delivers natural textures, tidy edges, and admirable clarity. Moreover, contrast remains strong, delineation is fairly revealing, and black levels (aside from a few problematic nighttime sequences) are deep and noise free. I did notice a bit of faint banding and minor artifacting in a handful of scenes, but they weren't incessant or distracting enough to spoil the presentation. All things considered, Sandler fans (particularly those who compare this new Blu-ray edition to its muddy standard DVD counterpart) will be pleased with Disney's efforts.

Audio



While Disney has produced a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track for The Waterboy's first high definition outing, the mix simply doesn't offer the inescapable immersion or booming power associated with the most memorable lossless audio tracks. Not only is LFE output a bit tame (especially considering the supposed impact of Bobby's tackles), the rear speakers struggle to bring the Louisiana swamps and crowded football stadiums to life. Without any hard-hitting weight or legitimate presence to speak of, the track has the distinct ring of a front-heavy catalog comedy. While I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the original sound designers -- who seem to have taken the two-dimensional nature of the film's comedy to heart -- some additional oomph and ambient complexity would have gone a long way. That being said, the ambience on hand is crisp and clean, dialogue is bright and intelligible, and interior acoustics (while stagey) are convincing. More importantly, the second and third act football games are far more involving than I expected after trudging through the first half hour of the film, and the climactic clash of the titans provides a rousing end to an otherwise average experience.

Taken on its own terms, Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio track doesn't suffer from any glaring technical deficiencies. In that regard, it should appease fans of the film and give DVD owners another excuse to toss their old disc in the trash.

Final Words



Even if The Waterboy appeals to your comedic sensibilities, its Blu-ray debut may not. With a somewhat problematic video transfer, an underwhelming DTS-HD Master Audio track, and zero special features, there isn't much to justify the disc's rather high price point. Granted, DVD owners with plenty of cash to spare will relish the various improvements offered by the upgraded AV presentation, but everyone else will probably want to wait for this one to go on sale.