Happy Gilmore 2

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.

The first Act is a depressing collection of cameos, including his entire immediate family, wife and two daughters. One of them goes all Sophia Coppola and has a major recurring role. You know that is not a good sign. The second Act is the Happy Gilmore we all came to see and it's great. The comeback montage / Rocky style tribute to Carl Weathers, his first time back on the real golf course, all the call backs and the new schtick, and now the cameos are fun. But then.......the WTAF third Act. "Regular" golf v Maxi golf was just stupid. Not Happy Gilmore silly, just stupid. And it ruined the whole thing.

40 minutes in, and this was looking very good. Similar beats to the original, with great cameos and multiple laughs. Sandler eases back into Happy like it's 1996, and familiar faces are everywhere.

But suddenly, things take a wild turn, and we are stuck in a bonkers sequel with no semblance of reality or cohesion. It is so bonkers that much of the last hour is indescribable.

Essentially Happy needs to raise money again to send his daughter to ballet school. He has to return to golf, which is being hijacked by a gingivitis addled fruit loop with grand plans to turn golf into MTV x XFL.

I didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised early on, particularly with Happy's hilarious buffoon sons. Unfortunately, we are left with another Zoolander 2 style debacle. 5/10.

I love Adam Sandler movies and I really wanted to love this movie. Sadly it's just not great. Shooter, Happy, and Hal L have bright spots but most of the jokes fell flat and the pacing was all over the place. The best way to describe this movie is a recycling of all the memorable jokes from the original but with worse delivery. Unfortunately Carl Weathers passed away so the story had to be rewritten. I would've rather seen a more grounded story with less cameos. The Sandman is still the GOAT and I'll watch every movie he makes.

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)