They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, in many cases that’s a principle that rings true. It’s also a belief that Adam Sandler holds, which he recently explained during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Well, coincidentally, Ariana Grande wanted to paid tribute to one of the comedian’s most famous characters – The Waterboy’s Bobby Boucher. And Adam Sandler was definitely here for it.
Ariana Grande recreated one of The Waterboy’s most memorable scenes and shared it on social media. Grande, dressed like Bobby Boucher, mouthed the character’s dialogue, as her former Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies and fellow 13: The Musical alum Aaron Simon Gross played the two co-eds attempting to seduce Boucher.
The costumes and lip-syncs were so good they caught the attention of Adam Sandler himself, who applauded the video. You can check out the hilarious clip and Sandler’s stamp of approval down below:
And if that weren’t all, Grande and Gillies returned to social media with another Waterboy scene. Only this time, Gillies plays Boucher’s love interest Vicki Vallencourt and Grande’s own mother takes on the role of Mama Boucher:
If you’re going to be stuck in the house, you may as well use the time to pay homage to your favorite films, right? Grande deserves some serious credit for dressing up and recruiting friends and family to pull these off. In a later tweet, Gillies even expressed her disbelief (and later belief) that their first skit actually became a reality.
Of course, the icing on the cake has to be that Adam Sandler enjoyed it. The actor holds a lot of sentiment when it comes to his various characters, and Bobby Boucher is one of the closest to his heart. Even after getting passed over for an Oscar nomination for his performance in Uncut Gems, Sandler responded with a Waterboy-inspired message.
The majority of Sandler’s films aren’t typically well received by critics yet many of them -- ranging from Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore to 50 First Dates and Click – were hits with audiences. With this, it’s not a surprise that Ariana Grande would be a fan.
Grande has proven to have an affinity for comedy, having starred in two Nickelodeon sitcoms before launching her music career. In addition to Sandler, she’s also a massive fan of Jim Carrey. This fandom would help her land guest spot on Carrey’s Showtime series Kidding.
Because Ariana Grande’s first two attempts at lampooning an Adam Sandler film was so successful, maybe she’ll try for another. Seeing her act out a scene from Little Nicky or The Wedding Singer could be fun. On the other hand, more scenes from The Waterboy would work just fine.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for what Grande does next but, while staying at home, both she and fans can also stream Adam Sandler’s films, including Uncut Gems which premieres on Netflix on May 25.
