Original artwork, not a still
Mama says alligators are ornery 'cause they got all them teeth but no toothbrush.
— The Waterboy · 1998
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Bobby's wisdom is entirely his mother's, delivered with total sincerity, and the joke is that a bayou folk saying beats a lecture hall for confidence if not for accuracy. It shows the film's whole premise in one beat: a grown man with a child's logic who is never embarrassed by it. Fans still quote it as the all-purpose 'Mama says' line, a fond reply to anyone explaining something confidently and wrongly.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The WaterboyShow the scene
In The Waterboy (1998), Bobby Boucher, the stuttering water boy turned linebacker, has been talked into attending college by Coach Klein. In a lecture hall, the professor asks why alligators are so aggressive, and Bobby quietly tells his friend Derek that he knows the answer. Called on, he stands and delivers the explanation he got from his mother: the gators are mean because they have a mouth full of teeth and no toothbrush. The class laughs, the professor repeats it in disbelief, and then another student gives the textbook answer about the medulla oblongata, which the professor confirms.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The WaterboyDialogue section, the classroom scene with the professor, Bobby and DerekReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Waterboy (film)Plot and CastReference checked
Context reviewed
