Happy Gilmore 2,
a more than competent sequel that manages to recapture the zany-magic of the original. Complete with absurd, crude humour that tickles the funny bone persistently while cashing in on shock value again and again – and to immense benefit! ‘Happy Gilmore’ has long been considered a trademark Sandler film often mentioned in the same breath as the actor’s other globally renowned late 90s to 2000s-era comedies, such as “Waterboy”, “Big Daddy”, “The Wedding Singer”, and “50 First Dates”. This is perhaps why there was a certain amount of anxiety (along with obligatory anticipation) from the online community, when it was announced that Sandler would be producing a sequel to the two-decades plus old hit comedy about a hockey player with anger management issues who unexpectedly becomes a star PGA golfer.
The original’s plot centered around Happy Gilmore’s quest to save his grandmother’s house from foreclosure, and his entrance into the PGA tour where the top prize money equals exactly enough to settle any debts owed on the property. Plot contrivances are of no concern when dealing with slapstick; as plot structure is just a route to uproarious laughter. Absurdity reigns supreme; since most comedies only need to loosely fit the definition of a structured story, as a way to showcase a comedian’s talent for jokes and riffing. But I digress: learning that he has a latent gift for driving a golf ball farther than any other – resulting from his days as a hockey jock and his outlandishly strong slapshot, Gilmore goes on to compete in the world’s premier golf tournament, that is until he’s outfoxed by the lead snob of the local golf club – “Shooter” McGavin (Happy Gilmore’s de facto nemesis on the greens) – played by the talented Christopher McDonald. Shooter decides to purchase the family home of his rival in the final act of the movie, instigating a showdown of golf skills so spectacular that it shaped how the game was played for the foreseeable future. Or at least, in the fictional universe of the Happy Gilmore movies, it did. I doubt any real world golfers emulated Happy’s antics – as it would probably result in a prompt removal from their go-to golf course, not to mention ensure a lifelong ban from the clubhouse and facilities:
shouting curses, fist-fights, fits of rage-fueled violence, lewd remarks, obvious drunkenness; these are all things that golfer course management prefer to be kept off the course, at least, for the most part. And in that first Happy Gilmore film all those activities prove Happy’s favourite pastime. What’s that old adage, “you can take the hockey player off the rink but you can’t make them stop punching people?” I think that’s an expression – and if it isn’t – it damn well should be!
(…might be a “Canadian thing”.)
From spiking golf clubs on the greens, to getting into a an all-out brawl with Bob Barker (the host of The Price Is Right, hilariously, plays himself) after a failed 2v2 golf game in which he was the weaker team member, to fighting an alligator for his golf ball, and of course many on-air tantrums while competing in the PGA tour, screaming things like “f*ck!”, or “damn, f*cking cock!”, or “god damn, cock-sucking ball, GO in the HOLE! The hole is your home, ball… why don’t you want to go home?” – Happy Gilmore did it all. Keep in mind these are not verbatim quotes, but there were many, many moments that showcased the character’s colourful vernacular. (Many.) And honestly; probably some of the funniest moments ever put on film. Without over-analyzing it too much, Sandler was at his funniest early on in his career, embodying a bad boy with a foul mouth and an all too human tendency to frequently self-destruct while verbally eviscerating all those around him. The original ‘Happy Gilmore’ (1996) allowed for an unbridled look at comedy as art; and rage as a medium.
But, bottom line, the dude was just funny AF when playing a character losing their shit. No one delivered a string of expletives quite like Adam Sandler…
I’ve included below a list from IMDb of all the swears and curse words in the original ‘Happy Gilmore’ – for comedic effect:
Profanity —- Moderate
(82 of 136 people found this moderate)
20 uses of “ass” (7 of them are “jackass”, and 1 of them is “asshole”), 18 uses of “Hell”, 9 uses of “Shit”, 2 uses of “piss”, 11 uses of “Damn” (2 of them are “Goddamn”), 3 uses of “bastard”, 4 uses of “bitch”, 2 uses of “crap”, and 18 religious exclamations. There are also a couple of scenes where Happy Gilmore is shown on a TV swearing like crazy (most of it’s bleeped out though).
Sometimes you can make out the stronger words during the rant (like “fuck” and “cocksucker”) but they are clearly censored.
Any swearing in the film that isn’t censored stays within PG-13 boundaries.
The swearing is comedic for most part.
Multiple uses of “f*ck” and one use of “c*nt” during one of Gilmores tantrums. (obviously bleeped out).
During a tv broadcast Happy calls the golf [ball] a fucking cunt (however it’s censored) He also uses other profanities (most of them apart from one use of bitch are censored and younger viewers won’t pick up on what he’s saying due to the bleeping sounds)
[1]
So, how well does Happy Gilmore 2 stack up against the original from 1996?
While it is a bit thickly laden with callbacks and ‘member berries nostalgia bait; Happy Gilmore 2 definitely captures the essence of what made that first film such a breakout hit. Raunchy jokes, hamfisted side plots, with a dash of crass antics, blend well, and serve alongside over-the-top sports commentary, all haphazardly mingled with a snobs vs slobs dichotomy reminiscent of an ‘Animal House’, or (even more accurately) a ‘Caddyshack’. This recipe for comedy is still adhered to excellently, in my humble opinion. And seeing as SNL was a byproduct of the National Lampoon’s magazine and film franchise and Sandler’s time as Saturday Night Live alumni ensures a certain level of wackiness to his films, generally hard to replicate; his mainstream projects still harken back to the golden era of comedy. His newer projects tend to incorporate aspects of classic 1980s laugh-riots in tandem with newer topical references and alternative humour for the Gen-Z and millenial crowd, although some modern Sandler features lack the follow through that this film attains. Hell, it even features a strangely cringe sequence with Eric Andrè. But, cringe in a good way, mind you. If you like Eric Andrè’s bizarre style of humour… which I do. The Eric Andrè show for life!
Happy Gilmore 2 happens to employ an interesting inversion of the slobs vs snobs formula, in which a group of lower-class pals outwit, outsmart, and outdo an elite group of Ivy Leaguers. This concept is turned on its head when Gilmore in his later years, after making a Rocky (Balboa) like comeback, decides to honour the memory of his late wife by competing in the PGA tour – in an effort to stop a new style of golf from diluting and commercializing his favourite sport. A mission his waspish, socialite (yet kind-hearted) wife would’ve no doubt approved of. In the first film, Happy Gilmore managed to win the affections of a golf sports reporter, Virginia Venit (Bowen) and at the outset of the sequel he has the bad luck of accidentally killing her with an errant tee off. Happy Gilmore hits his beloved with a golf ball; sealing the poor woman’s fate forever. Some critics have criticized this decision by the writers – highlighting the choice to “fridge” the actress Julie Bowen who starred alongside Adam Sandler in the first ‘Happy Gilmore’ feature, see below:
“The problem with Happy Gilmore 2 isn’t just the wall-to-wall fan service, the pointless cameos, or the fact that it fridges his wife (Julie Bowen), though all of that is obnoxious…” -Justin Rowles Jan. 26th / 2025
Pajiba.com [2]
I, myself, see no problem with this decision – although I did find a certain level of ridiculousness in it – that set the tone for the film to come. And the actress actually did appear in the film in a number of scenes, so not quite the issue that some press outlets initially made it out to be. Plus, to me it made sense on the surface as an easy way to give the character some internal conflict, without spending too much time on a lengthier first-act setup, in a film that seeks to entertain, rather than impress on a technical level. A comedy script needs to balance quality of writing with quality of laughter; and the latter should absolutely take precedence.
That being said, I understand the gripe.
On some level the movie was lacking a love interest.
Instead, Shooter McGavin’s transmuted from a foreshadowed villain – to a late-stage ally – who aids his former adversary in preserving the “art of golf” forever. This, in effect, provides the sentimentality that’s required of a feel-good comedy. And this plot point only occurs after a pretty awesome throwdown in a cemetery between the two aging golf bros. Epic.
Rating — 6.5/10
Far from a hole-in-one but Happy Gilmore 2 is still too good to be considered simply par for the course.
PS:
(Shooter McGavin eats pieces of shit for breakfast.)
Sources
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116483/parentalguide/
[2]
https://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/review-netflixs-happy-gilmore-2-starring-adam-sandler-julie-bowen.php
Full list of every pro golfer that cameos:
Lee Trevino, Fred Couples, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Sergio García, Charley Hull, Keegan Bradley Hunter Mahan, Collin Morikawa, Jack Nicklaus, Corey Pavin, Nick Faldo, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Paige Spiranac.
Notable celebrity cameos: Margaret Qualley, Eric Andrè (supporting cast), Bobby Lee, Cam’ron, Travis Kelce, Eminem, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Ken Jennings, Dan Patrick, Jon Lovett, Laval Crawford (supporting), Ben Stiller (supporting), Bad Bunny (main cast), Kid Cudi, Post Malone, Marcello Hernandez, Haley Joel Osment, Guy Ferieri, Screech from ‘Saved by the Bell’, John Daly, Kevin Nealon, the whole damn Sandler fam, Devin Dugan (director of the original ‘Happy Gilmore’) and too many more to name or mention.
[Carl Weathers is sorely missed in the sequel, not reprising his iconic role as the character “Chubbs” Happy Gilmore’s eccentric mentor due to his having passed away on February 2nd, 2024.]
