Synopsis

Bobby Boucher is a socially awkward Louisiana waterboy raised by his fiercely protective mother. After losing his job, he joins a struggling college football team, where his bottled-up anger becomes an extraordinary tackling talent. Under the guidance of Coach Klein, Bobby finds confidence, friendship, and a chance to challenge the people who have underestimated him all his life.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was released in the United States on November 6, 1998, by Touchstone Pictures.

• Although the story is set in Louisiana, most of the production was filmed in Central Florida. DeLand locations included Spec Martin Stadium and Stetson University, while Mama's cabin scenes were shot on Lake Louisa in Clermont.

• The South Central Mud Dogs' home games were filmed at DeLand High School's stadium. The production agreed to help fund refurbishment work on the facility.

• Many of the fans seen during the Bourbon Bowl sequences were students from the University of Central Florida.

• Bobby Boucher developed from Adam Sandler's earlier "Cajun Man" character, associated with his Saturday Night Live performances.

• Henry Winkler's involvement followed Sandler's reference to him in "The Chanukah Song." Winkler subsequently read the script and accepted the role of Coach Klein.

• Kathy Bates initially needed encouragement to accept the role of Mama Boucher. Her niece, an enthusiastic Sandler fan, persuaded her to reconsider the script.

• Made for an estimated $23 million, the film earned more than $185 million worldwide. Its opening weekend brought in over $39 million in the United States and Canada.

• The movie features brief appearances by several football figures and sports broadcasters, adding to its deliberately exaggerated college-football atmosphere.