User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 148 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 14 out of 148

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  1. NoBody
    Jul 1, 2008
    10
    It's a travesty this movie is in the bottom 100.
  2. JasonL
    Nov 10, 2005
    9
    Hey Gary F., you mean to say that beetlejuice was funnier than Billy Madison? Your saying that Michael Keaton is funnier than Adam Sandler, Norm McDonald, and the great Chris Farley? Who are you kidding, Billy Madison is a great comedy and shouldn't be analyzed so much, it's a shame all these magazines gave it such a bad score and that Gary here "film critic extrodanair" gave it such a bad rating.It's a hilarious movie and if you haven't seen it,go out and do so. Expand
  3. StabsM
    Sep 4, 2008
    4
    A prime example of the kind of movie critics hate and the proles love. :) I expected a big disconnect between the "critic" score and the "user" score, but I'm still amazed the user score is an 8.7. Look, guys, I liked this movie OK too. Sandler's dance to "I'll Tumble For You" was funny. So was the dodgeball scene. So was the Meg Ryan/Jack Nicholson discussion. And a handful of others. But the humor that actually worked was limited to a handful of one liners, leaving the viewer with about an hour and twenty minutes of nothing at all. No plot, no interesting characters, no good acting (not even good comedic acting) nothing adventurous or exciting or subversive or anything that makes a comedy actually, you know, GOOD. 8.7? Come on. This is one of the best movies ever? Expand
  4. BonehoC.
    Apr 16, 2006
    5
    This movie is the most referenced movie at our school. Once a kid said, "You know I never saw that movie," and I said, "Don't worry you're not missing anything," and my friend walks up and says, "Are you kidding? That's like greatest movie of our time," and I say, "For what, 10 minutes of laughes?" So I came here to check it out, and what do you know? The critics hate it, so I was at least somewhat right. I do admit though, there are some laugh at loud moments, but most of it is roll-your-eyes at material. Expand
  5. Nov 12, 2010
    0
    Funny. But rubbish.
    If i wanted to see a grown man act like a stupid kid, i would watch a video on youtube.
    Anyone who says this movie is the best movie they have ever seen, has obviously not seen good movies.
  6. Aug 27, 2010
    0
    This movie basically spawned my dislike of Adam Sandler. It's interesting that he always chooses to play characters that the viewer is suppose to sympathize but have no reason to deserve our sympathy. Oh, and on top of that it isn't funny - it has scenes and lines that are meant to grab our attention, but that's about it.
  7. Nov 1, 2010
    0
  8. FrancoH.
    Aug 2, 2006
    10
    This movie was hillarious! It's a shame that critics think that this was a bad movie, because they need to get the stick out of their ass!
  9. JoeyK.
    Aug 8, 2005
    8
    A 16? This movie was hilarious! Not the best ever, but it's on par with other Adam Sandler Classics. How could this get a 16?
  10. JacksonG.
    Jan 4, 2007
    9
    One of the very few funny Adam Sandler movies.
  11. SamL.
    Jan 4, 2007
    10
    This is why I hate critics. This movie should not be taken seriously, and is one of the funniest ever made.
  12. SteveM.
    Apr 6, 2008
    8
    Adam Sandler's finest. He needs to stop making lame dramas and comedic-dramas, go back to his roots.
  13. MattM.
    Jun 3, 2005
    4
    This was not the funniest movie ever but it was a film that new what it was and tried to be nothing more. not my sort of film but it's an easy one to watch that provides you with a few laughs and a few shakes of the head. hey, Gary it's people like you who make others feel inferior. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and whilst you slammed Josh the films you listed are actually pretty poor and reflect a very limited understanding or intelligence in relation to film making. classics? Pay attention to more cinema... yeah that's right. Other countries make film too Gary! Expand
  14. Brian
    Apr 3, 2006
    8
    I was surprised to see this got a 16 from the critics. Then I thought about it for a second and I understood... sort of... well, maybe they're too old to get it. It's a new classic; one of those movies that if you find out one of your friends never saw it, you immediately force them to watch it. Maybe you have to have been born between 1975 and 1985 to feel this way, but it became part of our psyches. And even if you don't think it's that funny, it must have done something right to become such an important part of 90s pop culture. And we can all agree that Billy Madison is funnier than Naked Gun 33 and a third. Expand
  15. MelvinM.
    Aug 2, 2006
    9
    Billy Madison and Universal Acclaim wouldn't usually go in the same sentence. But it should--and at least we users have spoken.
  16. AndrewH
    Aug 29, 2007
    10
    One of the funnier movies ever made. I guess there reviews just show that they should stop sending middle aged, suit wearing men to every movie. How about sending people in the target demo? Ever thought of that? These critics think there *$# doesn't smell, screw them.
  17. Ian
    Aug 6, 2007
    10
    One of my all time favourite comedies. I feel sorry for the "professional" -and I use that term lightly- critics who obviously have no sense of humor.
  18. DouglasM
    May 13, 2008
    10
    Best movie ever made-(Full Stop).
  19. AlexS.
    Jun 24, 2008
    9
    For me, Billy Madison fits into the same category as Wayne's World and The Cable Guy. Great comedies of the 90's which more than 10 years later and after dozens of views still have no problems in making me laugh.
  20. BM.
    Jun 6, 2008
    10
    Honestly, I just don't trust professional reviewers with comedies. They are usually right with dramas, action flicks, sci fi stuff, etc., but with comedy, these people just don't get it! Why else are there thousands of comedians out there in the world instead of just a few? Because everybody likes different types of comedies! This is an amazingly hilarious movie, filled with a neverending stream of laughs. Only problem: It's a little immature. For some reason, the reviewers see this as a reason to give it a bad grade. But hey, who doesn't act a little immature from time to time? it's silly, it's stupid, it's unrealistic, and hey, I loved every minute of it! Expand
  21. MorganF
    Jul 20, 2008
    8
    Why is this movie in the bottom 100? I found it hilarious. One of Sandler's best.
  22. mattb
    Apr 2, 2009
    10
    It seems that all of adams movies got low grades because there immature, but the critics have somthing so far up there ass they dont realize how funny the imaturity is. And anyways who really cares, adam sandler made millions of his movies.
  23. NickW
    May 3, 2009
    10
    This is one of my favorite movies of all time, still. Of course that makes my score biased, but if I went from an completely unbiased point of view, I'd still give this movie a 8 or 9. It's funny and simple while still appealing to someone with an IQ over 10 - Which is a severe rarity these days.
  24. Maxx
    Oct 4, 2005
    10
    This is hilarious...how in the hell did it get a 16 out of 100???? the critics must have been watching a different movie.
  25. joshuam.
    Feb 16, 2005
    10
    It is the best and funniest movie ever.
  26. billym.
    Apr 11, 2005
    10
    Sweet dude!!!!
  27. EC.
    Nov 10, 2006
    10
    Classic movie. Sandler at his very prime. I find the fact that critics didn't take this movie for what it is, a dumb comedy, absolutely ridiculous.
  28. Chris
    Oct 25, 2006
    10
    A classic.
  29. JimmyF.
    Oct 8, 2007
    10
    This is why I don't listen to critics.....they have no clue what they are talking about! American Classic.
  30. RodG.
    Feb 20, 2007
    7
    My comments are mostly in response to the 13 supossed critics that bashed this movie. You people take yourselves too serious. Why didn't your empolyers have someone with a sense of humor critique the movie? Newsflash: It's supposed to be stupid and simple.
Metascore

Overwhelming dislike - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 13
  2. Negative: 11 out of 13
  1. Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    0
    One of the most execrable movies ever made. [6 March 1995, p.100]
  2. 25
    Sandler mugs through a back-to-school daze. [13 February 1995, p.D1]
  3. Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    20
    The film should have featured more absurd and nonsensical elements. Certainly the plot is ridiculous, and so completely illogical that to see it fall by the wayside in favor of some inspired lunacy would not have been a loss.