Billy Madison

In order to inherit his fed up father’s hotel empire, an immature and lazy man must repeat grades 1-12 all over again.

• Director:Tamra Davis
• Genre:Comedy / Romance
• Runtime:86 minutes

Cast

Adam Sandler : Billy Madison
Darren McGavin : Brian Madison
Bridgette Wilson: Veronica Vaughn
Bradley Whitford: Eric Gordon
Josh Mostel : Principal Max Anderson

27-year-old Billy Madison (Adam Sandler) has spent his entire life reaping the benefits of his father’s hotel chain. He spends his days drinking with friends Jack (Mark Beltzman) and Frank (Norm Macdonald), and creating disturbances across his father’s estate. One day, Billy ruins a dinner meeting between his father, Brian (Darren McGavin), and his associates by acting obnoxiously. This prompts his father to lose faith in his son, and choose the conniving Eric Gordon (Bradley Whitford) to become the next chief of the hotel. Brian reveals that he secretly bribed Billy’s school teachers to pass his son. Billy, who despises Eric, begs his father to reconsider his decision. The two finally come to compromise; Billy must pass elementary, junior high, and high school on his own within the course of twenty-four weeks (two weeks per grade), in order to prove his competence.

Shortly after enrolling into school, Billy becomes attracted to a teacher named Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson), who initially attempts to ignore him. Nevertheless, Billy successfully progresses through his first two grades. He eventually finds himself as one of Vaughn’s students in the third grade. He manages to earn her respect by defending Ernie, his friend and classmate. Billy becomes popular among the third graders, and misses them as he advances through school. Billy’s development and progression alarms Eric, who becomes increasingly agitated as Billy completes each grade. Eric takes the offensive while Billy struggles in high school. He visits Billy’s grade school principal, Max Anderson (Josh Mostel), and makes numerous references to his controversial past as a professional wrestler (including one which he accidentally caused the death of another man while performing a stunt) that could threaten Max’s education career. Coerced, Max publicly states he took bribes from Billy in return for passing Billy to the next grade.

The announcement angers Brian, who chooses to give the hotel chain to Eric. Billy becomes distraught, and reverts to his original care-free lifestyle. Veronica, many school children, and other random characters from previous scenes come to Billy’s aid, and forcefully motivate him to keep fighting Eric. He returns to school and begins to study again. However, Billy realizes that he must reclaim the hotel chain. His grade school friends visit Max at his home and convince him to retract his accusations. Brian argues to Eric that Billy deserves another chance, but Eric disagrees and threatens to file a lawsuit. Billy challenges Eric to an academic decathlon that will determine his father’s successor. Although both men excel in different activities, Billy manages to take a single-point lead before the contest’s final event, a Jeopardy!-style academic test. Billy attempts to win the contest by answering a question pertaining to the Industrial Revolution. Billy answers the question by presenting an elongated comparison to a children’s book that was read to him earlier in the film. The contest’s host voices disgust at the answer, telling Billy that “everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.” Read more

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