Adam Sandler makes the types of movies you either love or despise. As a fan of his work from back in the Saturday Night Live (SNL) days, and especially ‘90s movies like Happy Gilmore, I was excited to check out Happy Gilmore 2, the sequel film that arrives almost three decades after the original.
Here’s my spoiler-free review.
What is Happy Gilmore 2 About?
Thirty years after the events in Happy Gilmore, Happy (Sandler) has hung up his golf clubs and retired into a life of raising his kids and living off his fame. He has done commercials, hosting gigs, all the usual stuff that someone who was a former whatever-type celebrity gets into once they have moved on.
Tragedy strikes, however, and Happy goes on a downward spiral. When he learns that his daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) has a natural talent for ballet, and her teacher has already applied to a prestigious school in Paris and secured her a spot, Happy realizes he needs to make money if he wants to be able to pay for it. Fast.
Naturally, the easiest way to do that is to enter a new golf tournament, just like he did decades ago to save his grandmother’s home. But there’s one issue: Happy hasn’t golfed in years and he’s a little rusty. OK, a lot rusty. Nonetheless, he gets back into the game with the desire to both earn the money for his daughter to live her dream and help with his own personal healing.
Many original cast members reprise their roles while the cameos are aplenty throughout.
Happy Gilmore 2 Review
Happy Gilmore 2 pays the ultimate fan service to those who love the original film. All the original characters, including those who are no longer with us, are honoured in a fitting way. Meanwhile, the sports comedy movie is filled with more cameos than you can count, including actors and athletes some might not recognize, others who are instantly identifiable. Among the latter are already confirmed guest stars like Bad Bunny, Eminem, Travis Kelce, and John Daly. But there are surprise names as well that were kept under wraps until now.
Admittedly, some of the guest stars are completely useless to the plot, there for the sole purpose of having fans point fingers and yell “hey, that’s [insert name here]!” (Others are there for a very specific purpose that, once again, pays homage to the original). But we’re totally fine with that. This isn’t an Oscar-worthy movie, after all. It’s a sports comedy that those in their late 30s to early 50s are dying to watch to relive their youths (there’s a soundtrack to match, too) and introduce their kids and grandkids to the hilarity of Sandler from arguably his best decade for comedic films.
What’s great about Happy Gilmore 2 is that the trailer did not give away much of the meat of the story. We know Happy and Virginia (Julie Bowen) are still happily married with five kids, including four rowdy boys and one girl. We know Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) returns, but we don’t really know what he has been up to all this time. There are elements to the story you won’t see coming and that are quite clever, including details pertaining to Happy, Virginia, Shooter, and the tournament Happy enters in general, along with a new set of villains he must overcome to achieve the impossible.
Sandler knows what his fans want and he’s happy to unapologetically deliver it, even if it almost seems like you’re watching a carbon copy of the movie you already know and love. That doesn’t matter. The formula worked three decades ago, and it still works today. All those famous lines you still quote are worked into the script to deliver a hearty chuckle. The hero vs. villain storyline carries over with new characters. Those we have lost since the first movie, including Frances Bay (Grandma Gilmore), Carl Weathers (Derick “Chubbs” Peterson), Richard Kiel (Mr. Larson), Joe Flaherty (the heckler Donald), and even Bob Barker, all get their due in subtle yet meaningful ways.
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking in Happy Gilmore 2. It’s Sandler redoing a formula that he has done time and time again, yet fans continue to eat it up (though critics are often less flattering in their assessments). The A-list cameos were enough of a draw to get people to watch. Beyond that, enough time has passed that this story oddly makes sense, even if it’s like Happy’s life circumstance is repeating itself once again. Same story, different angle with a few modern touches thrown in for good measure.
Interestingly, while Sandler is the key character, and he hits it out of the park (rather, onto the green) with his signature angry screams, sarcasm, machismo, and, of course, Boston Bruins jersey. But it’s McDonald and his finger gun salute as Shooter who steals every scene he’s in. Everyone loves a villain, of course. McDonald became an icon after the original and he doesn’t miss a beat this time around either. You might even want to almost root for him this time around.
The plot does seem to move rather quickly, not having enough time to develop certain characters and storylines enough beyond surface-level plot devices. But this also means the almost two-hour runtime doesn’t feel like it’s 118 minutes. The movie is perfect turn-your-brain-off entertainment that will elicit plenty of laughs out loud with a cast to excite viewers of all ages. (It’s rated PG-13, but go ahead and watch with older kids who have already seen the original, or mature pre-teens).
Should You Watch Happy Gilmore 2?
If you watched and loved Happy Gilmore, it’s worth checking out Happy Gilmore 2. You’ll enjoy some laugh out loud moments. Ideally, plan a movie marathon to watch the original followed by this one back-to-back, especially if it has been 30 years since you watched Happy Gilmore.
It’s fun to pick out the cameos, perhaps even question if someone is a famous athlete you don’t know or not (or wait for your kids to point out Bad Bunny and Post Malone). Expect to Google the guest star list once you’re done because its extensive, ranging from actors to musicians and plenty of athletes and sportscasters playing fictional versions of themselves. It’s almost like the movie is an oversized SNL sketch with a more elaborate stage that Sandler knows how to fill beautifully.
If you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun to watch on the weekend, or any day or night when you need a break, Happy Gilmore 2 won’t disappoint. The price is not wrong, bitch.