Happy Gilmore

Take Adam Sandler, the silly “Saturday Night Live” comic, add “Dumb & Dumber” and any sports movies where the underdog wins in the end, and you’ve got the formula for “Happy Gilmore,” a 1996 slapstick comedy.

Edward Guthmann said in his review, “It may smell awful from a distance, especially if you have low tolerance for lowbrow humor, but up close this yarn about an unlikely golf star is fairly painless.” Sandler, who co-wrote the script with Tim Herlihy, plays the protagonist, a short-tempered hockey player who joins a golf tournament to save his grandma, played by Frances Bay, from eviction.

Guthmann described, “Obsessed with hockey, Happy's got a great arm and the right attitude -- his on-the-rink etiquette makes John McEnroe look sedate -- but he can't skate for beans.” When a one-armed hockey pro, played by the late Carl Weathers, meets him at a driving range one day, and sees him hit the ball 400 yards with no problem, he immediately gives him the “Kid, you’ve got potential” encouragement.

Happy’s unsure at best. He calls golf a “sissy” sport, an old man’s game requiring “goofy pants and a fat ***.” Guthmann says, “Once he learns how much scratch he can earn with his mighty driving arm, however, and puts that together with the $270,000 he needs to save grandma's house from foreclosure, he signs up for the Pro Golf Tour.”

This isn’t easy for him. Guthmann noted, “Golf's a gentleman's sport and Happy's got the grace and decorum of a headbanger at a Metallica concert -- a fact that draws a whole new wave of fans to the sport. When Happy misses a putt, he goes ballistic and pulverizes the green with his clubs.” When he plays a Pro-Am tournament with the late host of “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker, their fight becomes one giant mess.

Guthmann pointed out, “Sandler has a brash, funky charm and a gift for funny voices that he uses to good advantage here. His basic shtick -- goofball antics and a talent for cutting authority figures to shreds -- may be limited, but the preview audience that watched "Happy Gilmore" Tuesday night ate him up. Preteen boys, especially, should love this flick.”

Every protagonist needs an antagonist, and Happy finds his in Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), a bad, arrogant golf player who’ll do anything to ruin Happy – even hiring a heckler (Joe Flaherty) to mess up his game, or trying to cheat Happy’s grandma out of her house.

You don’t have to be psychic to know who excels, or to figure out who gets the house and who scores with the attractive public relations woman, played by Julie Bowen, assigned to the golf tour. “Happy Gilmore” isn’t a challenge – just a lightweight clown that knows its audience and delivers the laughs.

I remember seeing the famous “Why don’t you go to your home, ball?” scene on TV years ago, but I didn’t know what movie it was. When I was taking Chemistry my junior year of high school, my classmate told me about this movie, and I remembered that part. I saw this years ago on Netflix, and I think this is one of Sandler’s best movies. Check it out on Netflix, if you haven’t, especially if you’re a Sandler fan. You will love this movie, I promise you.

I was surprised to hear that they were coming out with a sequel, because I didn’t think the movie needed a sequel. However, Netflix announced they were coming out with the sequel this year, and it was released in July.

The time of the legacy sequel is here. The love for nostalgia could be a little skeptical, but there have been some that have worked. Netflix decided to take the chance with “Happy Gilmore 2,” and director Kyle Newacheck manages to score a hole-in-one.

Happy Gilmore and his wife, Virginia, have everything. They have four sons (Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Ethan Cutkosky, Philip Fine Schneider, Conor Sherry) and a daughter, an endorsement from Trojan, and a happy life. However, when tragedy happens and Happy is left to take care for his family alone, things begin to go downhill. He starts drinking, his sons have to move out, and he leaves golf altogether. When his daughter, Vienna, played by Sandler’s real-life daughter, Sunny Sandler, is accepted into a dance school in Pars, he realizes that he needs to get himself out of this hole and find a way to help her achieve her dreams.

Frank Manatee, played by Benny Safdie, reaches out to Happy to be the face of a new extreme golf, but Happy declines, instead deciding to compete in a straight tournament. However, when average golfer Billy Jenkins, played by Haley Joel Osment, beats Happy, they find out that Frank and his new golf need to be removed.

Alise Chaffins said in her review, “I’ll say right now that if you enjoyed the 1996 film Happy Gilmore, then you are almost certainly going to enjoy Happy Gilmore 2. This sequel blends jokes and cameos from the original movie with enough new material to keep this from feeling like an entirely superfluous cash grab.” While there are some similarities between the two, Happy Gilmore has grown at least a little, and that makes this sequel a really enjoyable time for fans.

It's clear when you watch “Happy Gilmore 2” that everyone in it is enjoying themselves. Sandler wears his Timberlands again flawlessly. Christopher McDonald is hilarious once again as Shooter McGavin. Ben Stiller reprises his role as Hal and has completely new set of jokes for fans. Chaffins said, “I wish Bowen had been given more to do, but every scene she is in, she’s magical.”

This movie has a lot of the same style of humor that was in the original, which is to say that it’s really juvenile. However, where the original has some jokes that have aged poorly, the sequel acknowledges that and makes some changes for the better. Don’t worry, “Happy Gilmore 2” knows its audience and gives plenty of what you expect. There are some incredible jokes when Happy is hiding his drinking, the callbacks are very funny, and the final round of “super golf” is absolutely hilarious.

Revisiting movies from the 90s can be hit or miss. Chaffins ended her review by noting, “There is often a lot of entertainment found there, but there can also be some pretty cringey moments. Happy Gilmore 2 does an excellent job of recognizing and eliminating some of the humor that might not pass muster with a new audience, while at the same time giving new and old fans something to laugh at.”

I know this sequel is not as good as the first, but I still found myself enjoying it for the most part. If you haven’t seen the sequel yet, check it out on Netflix. You will love it, I promise you. For a surprising sequel, this did its job well. The first film wasn’t under the “Happy Madison Productions,” but the sequel was. Also, for those who are fans of Lavell Crawford, he plays the son of Chubbs in the sequel.

Thank you for joining in on “Happy Madison Month.” I know I started off with one of the worst comedies ever, but the other movies that starred Sandler, hopefully everyone checked them out. I hope everyone enjoyed this month and…. wait a minute. Next month is October. You know what that means! HALLOWEEN MONTH!!! Check in to see what spooky films I have in store for next month.