The Adam Sandler Comedy Classic Billy Madison comes to 4K UHD thanks to Kino Lorber.
The Film
Nudy Magazine Day! Nudy Magazine Day!
There are times when I feel old. This is one of them. I still remember watching Billy Madison as a teenager on VHS so many times that we wore out the tape. This, along with Happy Gilmore, were so ingrained into me and my friends’ daily life that we just on impulse would just do the Billy Madison voice. Even now, as a grown 47-year-old man, I’ll talk to my dogs in the Billy gibberish. I mention this because the film is now officially 30 years old and hasn’t lost any of its charms or delights – though it has become more un-PC (but what comedy hasn’t from that era). All in all, Sandler’s first, and arguably one of his best, still stands the test of time.
Part of the reason Billy Madison, along with Happy Gilmore, are still three decades on films that are watched by young and old is because the plots are simple and the laughs are plentiful. Billy is a man-child (not man-baby, there’s a difference) that’s father (one of the all-time great dad’s Darrin McGavin, see A Christmas Story) has allowed him to be as such. Billy even knows there is something wrong with his state of arrested development, wanting the change to grow up a bit… or he would never panic at the control of the hotel business going to Eric (Bradley Whitford).
Yes, the whole going from K–12th grade gambit that Billy proposes is as stupid as stupid gets, but it’s the perfect setup for Sandler to do what he does best. By keeping the plot lean, screenwriters Tim Herlihy and Sandler allow for Sandler to do what he does best and lean into the ridiculousness of everything. From a lipstick-wearing Steve Buccemi to flaming poop jokes to Sandler viciously playing dodgeballs with second graders, there isn’t a moment wasted during the sub-90-minute runtime.
Like Eddie Murphy and John Belushi before him, Adam Sandler came to us a fully formed comedic superstar. Billy Madison is Sandler running full force into a beloved comedy icon. There is something instantly lovable about Sandler in this persona. Even as he throws tantrums through the first thirty minutes, we know deep down it’s an act. The way he helps the kid who pees his pants on a field trip speaks to Billy and Sandler’s ultimate good-natured selves, which finds its way through in all the best of Sandler’s films.
Director Tamara Davis keeps everything light and poppy with the visual style in that anything is possible realm. When the out-of-left-field musical number goes down, it feels as organic as the finale with Eric and Billy going head-to-head in an Academic Decathlon. Though Davis understands, like all of the best directors do, that Sandler always has to be front and center doing what Sandler does best… turning man-child outbursts of an enfant terrible into an art form.
Billy Madison is the first of Sandler’s filmography, and it remains one of the best.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a flawless representation of the film. The transfer is razor sharp with a beautiful patina of film grain that’s representative of the film’s 35mm origins. The image is clean and free of any dirt, specs, or scratches. The Dolby Vision HDR master gives the colorful film a bump in color density, accentuating the wonderful-looking film’s visual style. Kino continues to release truly next-level transfers for classic films.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW Audio Commentary by Author and Filmmaker Bryan Connolly and The Billy Gilmore Podcast Host Wilson Smith
- Audio Commentary by Director Tamra Davis
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- NEW Audio Commentary by Author and Filmmaker Bryan Connolly and The Billy Gilmore Podcast Host Wilson Smith
- Audio Commentary by Director Tamra Davis
- Deleted Scenes
- Outakes
- Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)
The first of two Audio Commentaries is a new track by Author and Filmmaker Bryan Connolly and The Billy Gilmore Podcast Host Wilson Smith, which begins with their bona fides before diving into the first Adam Sandler comedy and what they call the “Rosetta Stone” of Sandler’s career. Some of the details include the collaboration between Sandler and Tim Herlihy, writers of the film, and their rise through the ranks of stand-up comedy, SNL, and eventually the films they wrote; the comparison to Sandler’s first comedy album, They’re All Gonna Laugh at You; a discussion of the work of actor Bradley Whitford, including a discussion of casting what-if’s someone who eventually became a Sandler villain; a discussion of where Sandler was in his career right before he was fired from SNL; how Tamara Davis was hired as director two days into production and why she was brought on; a discussion of the filming locations in Canda; the films and TV series Sandler did before Billy Madison beyond SNL; infamous dodgeball scene; the specific scenes that the original director filmed and were included in the film; the work of Bridget Wilson and a larger discussion of Sandler’s love interests in other films; a larger discussion of the appearance of SNL and regulars Chris Farrelly, Norm McDonald, Steve Buccemi; a larger discussion of the various character proclivities that show up consistently in his career; a larger discussion of the comedic bits that happen in this film that get repurposed or reused in other Sandler’s comedies; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more.
The second Audio Commentary is an archival one by Director Tamra Davis, which opens with a discussion of the shooting locations in Canada and Davis’ details she notices as a female director that males would not. Some of the details include her faith in Sandler and writer Tim Herlihy on what worked for their brand of comedy; a discussion of her replacing the original director and the situation over that; a discussion of her method on choosing not just which bands to make music videos for, but how it also applies to making comedies; a discussion of the collaboration between herself, Sandler and Herlihy; the dodgeball scene and how they approached it; how she made up the time with the lack of preproduction she had as a director; the visual style that they approached the film with cinematographer Victor Hammer and production designer Perry Andelin Blake; the editing, post-production of the film; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion throughout about the various scenes she did not direct; and much more.
Deleted Scenes (32:58) –The bulk of this is extended scenes or lifted moments from existing scenes. The menu allows you to play all or individually.
- The Pool, Penguins & Pornography (5:38)
- Billy at Home (8:58)
- Being Billy (5:52)
- School Days (5:47)
- Eric and Principal Anderson (4:41)
- Academic Decathlon and Graduation (2:01)
Outtakes (3:44) – a bunch of goofs and breaks from the actors.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Billy Madison [Newly Mastered in 2K] (2:00); Happy Gilmore (2:23); Black Sheep (2:20); Road Trip (2:26); Wayne’s World 2 (2:17); Kingpin (1:28); CB4 (2:31); Half Baked (1:54)
The Final Thought
Kino has done a marvelous job in bringing this comedy classic to 4K. Highest recommendations!!