Now streaming: 'Billy Madison' is Adam Sandler's first, goofiest and best comedy

Before Adam Sandler was the wedding singer, the water boy and the wildly immature golfer, he was Billy Madison.

After five years on "Saturday Night Live," Sandler lept to the big screen, leading one of the weirdest mainstream comedies in "Billy Madison." The 1995 hit is streaming now on Hulu and features Sandler as a spoiled 27-year-old brat who must repeat and complete grades 1-12 to earn the rights to run the family hotel empire.

Unlike recent Will Ferrell and Adam McKay movies, there is no subversive commentary in "Billy Madison." Enjoying this comedy depends on how much you can tolerate Sandler's random goofiness. However, his diversions make this so fun to watch.

Putting aside Sandler's recent hot streak of good-to-great turns, the comedian got lazy quickly after his first five hits. Each movie after "Big Daddy," with the exception of "Punch-Drunk Love," was more difficult to watch. Sandler phoned it in, and he even admitted as much when promoting movies like "Grown Ups 2" and "Blended."

In "Billy Madison," though, he's throwing every stupid whim at the wall. He's screaming nonsense, slurping soup and staging fights between shampoo and conditioner — all within the first 15 minutes. Then, he's dancing to Culture Club, yelling about the lack of Snack Packs in his lunchbox, and misspelling baseball players' names.

On paper, it doesn't sound funny. When Sandler is phoning this stuff in, it's not funny. But in "Billy Madison" — and later in "Happy Gilmore," "The Waterboy" and in the supremely underrated "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" — Sandler was committed and delivered a comedy classic.

Also streaming in July

ON NETFLIX: "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Blue Valentine," now available; "Her," available July 29

ON HULU: "Analyze This," "Hustle & Flow," "Go," "Borg vs. McEnroe," now available; "The Glass Castle," available July 27; "Victoria & Abdul," available July 28

ON AMAZON PRIME: "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence," now available; "Snowden," available July 8; "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," available July 24

ON CRACKLE: "Hudson Hawk," "Johnny Mnemonic," and "Last Action Hero," now available