Billy Madison

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Billy Madison

PG-13

1995

1h 29m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Man-child Billy Madison has been a spoiled rich kid all his life, and spends his days drinking and partying. When his father, hotel magnate Brian, becomes fed up with his son's irresponsible ways, he issues an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father's influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to Brian's conniving associate, Eric.

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Critics Consensus

Audiences who enjoy Adam Sandler's belligerent comic energy may find him in joyously obnoxious form as Billy Madison, but this thinly-plotted starring vehicle surrounds its star with an aggressively pedestrian movie.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

03/31/2019

If you've ever had a yen to relive the third grade, this must be the next best thing.

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John Petrakis

Chicago Tribune

03/31/2019

0.5/4

Billy Madison is a textbook example of a half-decent idea that never got developed beyond the "lying around drinking beer and making jokes with your buddy" stage.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

03/31/2019

1/4

The latest entry in the American cinema's investigation of dumb-and-dumber heroes.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

08/11/2025

2/4

Too many gags are set up and then abandoned.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

07/29/2025

2.5/5

Billy Madison hasn’t aged particularly well, from its problematic humor to its questionable plot dynamics, but it’s undeniably a product of its time.

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

07/28/2025

3.5/5

While not award-worthy, Billy Madison’s absurd humor and Sandler’s charm made it a cult favorite that kicked off his film career.

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Roz S

@RT05708274 Jul 9

Greatest movie of all time

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Jack M

@RT86985030 Jun 26

Great movie, funny. Good plot, good acting, good plot twists. 5 stars

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Colton

Jun 13

SWEET JESUS now why in the hell is almost all the reviews hating on this film god damm Billy Madison is wonderful genuinely how are you hating this

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Rus S

@Mr_Maybe Feb 27

How this movie ever became popular is beyond me, and when I see that people are giving it 5 stars, not only do I question the validity of these reviews, I have to question the intelligence of humanity. 12 year old me would have thought this was the dumbest movie in the world, but 54 year old me doesn't even think that highly of it. The humor is beyond juvenile, the premise is ridiculous, and to think a beautiful teacher would fall for someone who is so immature that they have to retake third grade (and still acts like it) is laughable - and not in the funny way. You have to have the sense of humor of a 10 year old to find Sandler's gibberish funny. Before you think I'm a Sandler hater, I actually think some of his movies are funny like Grown-ups and the Wedding Singer. This definitely ain't those.

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Charlie T

@KIDCRITIC Dec 26

Watched Billy Madison this year. This is a funny movie. It is about a man who is trying to take over his fathers company but does not have a well respected intelligence and this guy is trying to take over the company but Billy has to go through 1-12 and before 2 weeks. The quality is good. The storytelling is nice and the acting is what you expect an Adam Sandler movie to be. Overall I would rate this movie 4.5 stars out of 5.0 stars. I thought it got a little dark at the end. My favorite scene is when he is playing dodgeball. I would recommend this to a friend.

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The Cursed Legion T

@GAVINSISEMORE Dec 23

Good movie would recommend for Adam Sandler fans comedy doesn't appeal as much as it would in 95 but still a good entertaining watch.

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Tamra Davis

Director

Adam Sandler

Billy Madison

Darren McGavin

Brian Madison

Bridgette Wilson-Sampras

Veronica Vaughn

Bradley Whitford

Eric Gordon

Josh Mostel

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Billy Madison: Official Clip - May God Have Mercy On Your Soul

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Synopsis

Man-child Billy Madison has been a spoiled rich kid all his life, and spends his days drinking and partying. When his father, hotel magnate Brian, becomes fed up with his son's irresponsible ways, he issues an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father's influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to Brian's conniving associate, Eric.

Director: Tamra Davis
Producer: Robert Simonds
Screenwriter: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Robert Simonds Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.6M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Surround

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