Summary

  • Farmer Fran is a hilarious recurring character in Adam Sandler films, with his exaggerated Cajun accent and unintelligible advice.
  • Blake Clark, a frequent Adam Sandler collaborator, has appeared in 13 of Sandler's movies, making him one of his most frequent collaborators.
  • While Farmer Fran doesn't impact the plot, he adds humor and charm that makes viewers him long after the movie ends.

Farmer Fran is a hilarious side character in Adam Sandler's Adam Sandler is well known for casting his friends in his movies, and it's always fun to wait and see when Kevin James is going to appear or if Nick Swardson will have a cameo. Sandler's older films can be bittersweet for this same fact when the late Chris Farley or Norm Macdonald comes on the screen. This "acting-troupe" style of filmmaking makes Sandler's films just that much more comfortable and fun.

The Waterboy has many interesting casting choices, including the expected recurring actors from Sandler's other projects. A sports comedy film, The Waterboy is usually ranked under Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore when it comes to his early period comedies, but it still ranks high in the echelons of his outrageous and beloved filmography. The film follows the socially inept Bobby Boucher (Sandler) who's a college football water boy from Louisiana, only for the team to discover he's a talented linebacker. One of Bobby's biggest fans is Farmer Fran.

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Comedian Blake Clark Plays Farmer Fran In The Waterboy

Farmer Fran Is A Local Fan Of The Mud Dogs

Farmer Fran (Blake Clark) rubbing his nipples in The Waterboy

Farmer Fran is a local farmer who is one of the longtime fans of South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs despite their 40-game losing streak. Fran, played by comedian Blake Clark, is completely unintelligible, but that doesn't stop him from constantly offering advice to Coach Klein (Henry Winkler), Bobby, and the rest of the Underdogs, who generally just give him a confused look before moving on. It's a funny joke every time it happens and gets to the point that viewers start laughing whenever Farmer Fran even walks on screen.

But he's so memorable and delightful, he feels like a much bigger part of the story than he is.

Clark is a stand-up comedian and comedy actor, and he completely becomes Fran in the same way that Farley would give a part all his effort in something like Billy Madison as the bus driver. Fran affects an exaggerated Cajun accent for the role, and the only one or two words that can ever be made out are "Bobby" and "Boucher". Fran does not really have any effect on the plot of The Waterboy, few side characters do in Sandler movies. But he's so memorable and delightful, he feels like a much bigger part of the story than he is.

Blake Clark reprises the role of Farmer Fran in a cameo in Joe Dirt.

Blake Clark Is A Frequent Adam Sandler Collaborator

Clark Has Appeared In 13 Adam Sandler Movies

Not only is Clark a talented comedian, he's also a frequent collaborator of Adam Sandler. He has appeared in ing roles in 13 Adam Sandler movies: The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds, Eight Crazy Nights, 50 First Dates, Click, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Bedtime Stories, Grown Ups, That's My Boy, The Ridiculous 6, Hubie Halloween, and Leo. This makes Clark one of Sandler's most frequent collaborators. Nearly ranking him equal with Kevin James and Adam Sandler collaborations, of which there are 14.

Adam Sandler Movies Featuring Blake Clark

Movie

Year

Role

The Waterboy

1998

Farmer Fran

Little Nicky

2000

Jimmy the Demon

Mr. Deeds

2002

Buddy Ward

Eight Crazy Nights

2002

Radio Shack Walkie-Talkie

50 First Dates

2004

Marlin Whitmore

Click

2006

Roy

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

2007

Crazy Homeless Man

Bedtime Stories

2008

Biker

Grown Ups

2010

Bobby "Buzzer" Ferdinando

That's My Boy

2012

Gerald

The Ridiculous 6

2015

Gulch Sheriff

Hubie Halloween

2020

Tayback the Cook

Leo

2023

Golfer #1

Clark has appeared in roles beyond The Waterboy and other Sandler films. He plays Chet Hunter on Boy Meets World and Harry "The Hardware Store Guy" on Home Improvement. In film, Clark plays Murray in The Mask and voices Buford in Rango. Notably, he took over for the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3 after Jim Varney ed away from lung cancer in 2000. Varney and Clark were good friends and Clark took inspiration for his role from his late pal. The director of Toy Story 4 told ComicBook,

"The thing I love, Blake Clark does the voice now of Slinky and he was best friends with Jim Varney. Really, really close. And so he, it's amazing because he's like, 'I'm channeling Jim, I'm channeling my best friend here'..."

The Waterboy (1998) - Poster - Adam Sandler holding a bucket of water and helmet

Your Rating

The Waterboy
PG-13
Comedy
Release Date
November 6, 1998
Runtime
90 Minutes
Director
Frank Coraci

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

The Waterboy is a comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, featuring Adam Sandler as Bobby Boucher, a socially awkward waterboy for a college football team who discovers a talent for tackling. Set in Louisiana, the story follows Bobby as he transforms from a ridiculed waterboy into a star player, under the guidance of Coach Klein, portrayed by Henry Winkler. Kathy Bates co-stars as Bobby's overprotective mother.

Budget
23000000.0