Billy Madison/ Happy Gilmore Special Edition Set DVD Review:

I couldn’t contain my excitement when I heard that there was finally going to be a special edition release for two of my favorite wacky comedies. I had long waited for them to be released, and had great expectations for what they could have on them. I wish that I could say I was pleased with the
results, but the sad truth is that although the films are as good as they ever were, the special edition is not that special on either film.

Billy Madison

This ridiculous comedy written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler is about a child-like man who would rather sit around and drink all day rather than
work at all to earn his father’s respect, but when his father threatens to give the family business to someone else, Billy must complete first through
twelfth grade in twenty-four weeks to prove he is able to rise to the occasion. It’s exactly the absurd kind of plot that has been redone time after time since this film was released but never as successfully.

Billy Madison succeeds because it doesn’t care if it makes sense and this gives it
the freedom to be as crazy and bizarre as it pleases. There are random appearances by a giant penguin, a horny housekeeper, an ex-wrestler
principal, and a musical number which has a clown with a cracked scull. The writing of the film is only topped by the acting, which is comic genius
by Adam Sandler in his first big film role. Norm Macdonald plays Frank, Billy’s best friend, Bridgette Wilson plays the love interest/third grade
teacher, Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) plays the villain who is trying to take the company, and there are great un-credited cameos by Chris Farley and Steve Buscemi. The film has such a light and fun feeling to it that it gives off the impression that everyone involved loved what they were doing and had a blast. In the hands of anyone else this film may have failed terribly.

There were actually some problems with the original director of the film and then Tamra Davis was brought in to finish the film, although it seems as it
a great deal was decided before she even arrived.
The thing I love about Billy Madison is that it is shocking and funny in ways that most films today aren’t able to capture. Most comedies today
attempt to get the same reaction but can only do so through gross-out or sexual humor. Billy Madison uses great comic timing and random ideas nobody prior had ever thought to do. It would be nice to see something this original in the comedy genre again. The closest thing lately would have to
be Napoleon Dynamite.

The problem with the DVD is the lack of features. Although the film looks good, and it’s nice to have a fancy box cover, the real reason for buying a
special edition DVD is to get the little perks. The deleted scenes are plentiful, but very few of them are very good, and it seems obvious why they
were taken out of the film. There is also a blooper reel, which is somewhat funnier than the deleted scenes, yet still disappointing. The highlight of
the Billy Madison DVD would have to be the director’s commentary, as it is the most substantial special feature, but I found myself quickly
uninterested in what Tamra Davis had to say. There were moments when she was insightful, but for the most part I was not interested. There were some
moments that I loved though, and those were when she was telling stories about Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. The stories were completely unrelated to the film, making for an unfortunate commentary, but they were often
rather funny. What I found to be extremely disappointing is the lack of an Adam Sandler/Tim Herlihy audio track. They were the heart behind the film and would have given a much better commentary. With that addition I would be
praising the “special edition” but instead I am disappointed.

Features on Billy Madison include:
• English DD5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround
• French and Spanish DD2.0 Stereo
• English, French and Spanish subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Tamra Davis
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Production Notes

Happy Gilmore

Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy’s second collaboration was both more successful as well as more coherent, whether good or bad. While Billy
Madison had a childlike man who drank all day, Happy Gilmore has an angry hockey player who realizes he can make money by using his skills in the civilized game of golf. The film is a classic fish-out-of-water plot, showing what would happen if a blue collar guy came into the country club
world. The main conflict comes from the fact that Happy can’t seem to control his temper and he loves to fight.

With a story as simple as Happy Gilmore, the film relies entirely on the situations, the dialogue and the actors. The concept of having a homeless
man as a caddy is as absurd and hilarious but not so much as the role of Happy’s mentor Chubbs, played by Carl Weathers, whose hand was bitten off by a crocodile in the water hazard. The situations are as humorous as the characters within them, such as the now famous fight scene between Adam Sandler and Bob Barker. It’s completely absurd and yet that is what makes up the charm of many of Adam Sandler’s movies. The film itself was inspired by a childhood friend of Adam Sandler, who played hockey but would occasionally tag along with Adam and his father when they played golf.
Perhaps one of the reasons that the film works so well was the band that was formed between the cast in the eight week shoot that it took to make
Happy Gilmore.

As absurd as the film is, there is also a heart and
likeability to any of Adam sandler’s characters and even the angry Happy Gilmore is no exception. One interesting fact that I had never realized is
that Happy’s love interest is named Virginia Venit, which is humorous because in Billy Madison the female lead is named Veronica Vaughn. I’m not
certain what the writer’s obsession with V names is, but it’s a funny tidbit. Also watch for a humorous role from Ben Stiller before he was as big a star as he is now.

While Happy Gilmore is nearly as void of special features as Billy Madison, with no commentary at all, the deleted scenes are slightly more humorous.
With only the deleted scenes and the blooper reel though, the DVD hardly feels like a special edition, and I found myself to be rather disappointed
with the package as a whole. The one good thing about the DVD is that the transfer looks great and the film has a sharp quality to it. Overall I would
recommend this package to fans, but only with the warning that it isn’t as special as any fan would hope.

Features on Happy Gilmore include:
• English DD5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround
• French and Spanish DD2.0 Stereo
• English, French and Spanish subtitles
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Production Notes

Ryan Izay

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