Happy Gilmore 2

I just watched Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix

I love the first movie (it's my favourite Sandler movie), and I have been cautiously optimistic for this one.

And it was a massive let down. After a serious WTF moment in the first three minutes and the following ten minutes, where we see all Happy achieved in the first movie undone, there are not a lot of laughs. In fact I don't think I laughed once. I smiled a couple of times, but that was it.

Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller all return (with varying amounts of screen time) as do a host of people from the first movie, Sandler regulars and some pro golfer's

Adam Sandler's daughter, Sunny Sandler, plays Happy's daughter Vienna, his wife plays her dance teacher, his other daughter Sadie Sandler plays someone Happy meets at an A. A meeting, Haley Joel Osment and Margaret Qualley are also here

It relies a lot on nostalgia, with plenty of flashbacks and callbacks. The new Happy place made me smile, I wasn't bored and it was nice to spend time with some of the characters again and I enjoyed what they did with Shootst, but overall this was a let down. I wanted to like it, so much more.

I was actually quite looking forward to this and to be fair, it starts off pretty well. Loads of nostalgic references, a few funny slapstick moments that definitely felt familiar, and in a good way at first.

But yeah... it didn't really bring anything new to the table. Most of it relies on old jokes, random cameos, and throwing in a bunch of YouTubers. Not terrible, just kind of predictable. You can tell they weren't really trying to reinvent anything just giving fans more of what they remember.

That said, the nostalgia is still there. It was fun overall. I laughed a few times, had a decent time watching it, but it was never going to live up to the original. Still, worth a watch if you're a fan of the first one just keep your expectations in check.

This is a difficult movie to review. There is a nostalgia factor and the first movie was fun. I don't watch movies that are rated less than 6. That is why I chose that rating for this movie. It's not bad, it just isn't something I'll ever watch again. There were definitely moments that were funny but probably more misses than hits. The story was hard to follow and the pace was all over the place. It's worth spending an evening on if you're bored.

I said, "so stupid," several times while watching Happy Gilmore 2. But I was laughing while I said that. So I can't even be mad at it. Comedy is subjective and some people will see this stupidity and cringe or roll their eyes. But it made me laugh repeatedly. And that's all I really care about with comedies.

Aside from the humor, so much about this movie shouldn't work. It's what people criticize as the problem with sequels and reboots these days. There is a huge focus on nostalgia and recreating moments from the original. There are tons of cameos and callbacks.

I can't explain why, but these usual problems somehow feel like they belong. Maybe it's the era this harkens back to. It doesn't feel forced even though it absolutely is.

I can't say this is a good movie, but in an age of comedy movie extinction, I had a good time with it.

(1 viewing, 7/27/2025)

Like someone else wrote, the first half of the movie was actually a fun throwback. Loved the usage of John Daly and Happy's sons. Loved that so many golf legends got cameos as well. I am NOT a movie snob and the original Happy Gilmore is one of my favorites. That said... the entire "Bad Guy Tournament" was just... dumb. Movie threw out everything that made the original great. It was like 2 different movies, and I found myself playing on my phone.