Happy Gilmore 2 info:
Director: Kyle Newacheck
Writer: Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, and Christopher McDonald
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. Two weeks ago, we were Fantastic. Last week we were super, and now this week we are happy. That’s right, the long-awaited sequel to 1996’s “Happy Gilmore” is finally here. However, before I begin, I hope everyone is having a smooth return to school and that the summer heat isn’t affecting you. Either way, I don’t want to make you unhappy, so if you haven’t seen “Happy Gilmore 2” yet and don’t want to be spoiled, please check out some of my other reviews here first, then come back.
For everyone else, I hope you’ve watched it, and from what I hear, that is very likely since it was streamed via Netflix 46.7 million times in the first three days alone. As of August 8th, it was over 90 million already (at least according to GOLF.com). So, there is a good chance that if you are reading this… you’ve seen it.
“Happy Gilmore 2” was directed by Kyle Newacheck and debuted on Netflix on July 25th of this year. As a big fan of the original, I have mixed feelings about part two. On one hand, it’s great to see this character (and many others) on our screens again, but at the same time, after 29 years, I feel like they could have done better in a lot of ways.
It starts just as I thought it would, with Sandler’s Gilmore narrative of the last few years to get us caught up to where we need to be. It was great to see them bring back Bowen’s Virginia, but a huge shock as we learn that she gets killed off almost immediately. Leaving Happy alone with almost five full-grown children (four boys and one girl). Without Virginia, his life spirals, and he’s left with no money, losing his grandma’s house again, and becoming an alcoholic. We also learn that Shooter (McDonald) has been in a home for criminally insane people this whole time.
When his daughter Vienna (played by real-life daughter Sunny) needs money to go to ballet school in Paris, Happy does the only thing he knows how to do… golf. After he shakes off the rust in some hilarious ways, he makes it back to the PGA tour, where we get all sorts of cameos from real-world golfers. Not just any golfers, some of the best in the world like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. But that’s not it; there are also plenty of cameos from legendary golfers like Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Sir Nick Faldo, and Corey Pavin.
As this is happening, there is another league called Maxi that is trying to take down what current golf is. They try to recruit Happy, and when he turns them down, they get Shooter out of prison and rely on him for help. Sometimes this movie moves rather fast as it bounces from section to section. Did I mention that Happy is also in rehab, where his support group leader is Hal L. (Ben Stiller), making his return as well.
Honestly, “Happy Gilmore 2” is just riddled with cameos and the normal Sandler oddball characters. Steve Buscemi, Kevin Nealon, Nick Swardson, Jon Lovitz, Rob Schneider, Dan Patrick, and Blake Clark all make an appearance of some sort, along with a slew of newer faces that we might see in a future Sandler film. Two of the best were Bad Bunny as Oscar, Happy’s caddy, and Eminem as Donald Jr,… you know the “Jackass” guy! Bad Bunny actually had quite a big role in this film and did a really good job.
Like any feel-good movie, Shooter ends up leaving Maxi and helping out Happy and the PGA, and they end up being relatively friendly by the end of the movie. They work together to take down Maxi and save the day. Happy stays on tour and wins enough money to send Vienna to school.
Like I mentioned earlier, it was great to see Happy on my screen again, but where “Happy Gilmore 2” failed was its overuse of old jokes. As funny as it was in 1996, I didn’t need to see every single joke rehashed. They either brought back a joke or a side character’s child just so they could reuse jokes that way, too. So, I had a great time watching it, and it made me laugh, but there were so many times when I knew exactly what was going to happen because of the reusing of the gags.
What it did great was give justice to Shooter. Giving him a nice ending (if he deserved it is another question) and replacing Hal as the poor chump getting chased in the end. I also liked that he was actually a legendary golfer and didn’t just flame out after the events in “Happy Gilmore”. Winning several major championships and having a bronze statue of himself next to a few other greats was a nice touch.
So overall, if you’re a fan of the original, then you will definitely enjoy “Happy Gilmore 2”. Just be prepared to not see anything really new. It made me laugh despite it, even some of the worn-out jokes are still funny, just not original anymore. So, after all of that, I give this movie a 6 out of 10, which is decidedly better than eating a piece of shit for breakfast! Ok, that’s it for me this week. Now it’s your turn. Have you seen “Happy Gilmore 2” yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Do you like all the jokes being reused, or are you new to this franchise and thought it played well throughout? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and I will be back next week with another funny recap if you’re unlucky.
