Thanks to my uncles, Adam Sandler movies were sprinkled throughout my formative years – including those he acted in, produced and have even written.
I didn’t get into his standup comedy until much later, but, I think my favorites of his mid-1990s flicks was “Happy Gilmore” (1996).
Cue my surprise when the rumors of a sequel finally came into fruition nearly 30 years later.
And, sure, it’s still the quintessential crude humor that echoes the first iteration but there’s also some nostalgic comfort factored in.
Or, maybe that’s just me!
Still, “Happy Gilmore 2” came straight to Netflix and I’ve already seen it twice to try and catch each and every Easter egg from the original film and to enjoy the new characters portrayed.
Plus, I can laugh as loud as I want in the comfort of home!
Happy Gilmore 2 is an American sports comedy film serving as a sequel to Happy Gilmore and starring Adam Sandler.
It was written and produced by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and directed by Kyle Newacheck.
Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Dennis Dugan, and Ben Stiller reprise their roles from the original film, while Benny Safdie, Sunny Sandler, Maxwell Friedman, Philip Schneider, Ethan Cutosky, Conor Sherry, John Daly, and Bad Bunny star in new roles.
The movie is rated PG-13 for strong language, crude/sexual material, partial nudity and some thematic material and is 118 minutes long.
After winning his first Tour Championship in 1996, Happy Gilmore (Sandler) has a successful golf career, winning five more championships.
He also has five children with his wife Virginia Venit (Bowen), the professional golf tour’s public relations director.
After accidentally killing Virginia in 2014 when one of his drives hits her in the head, Happy feels devastated and quits golf out of guilt.
He soon becomes an alcoholic and loses everything after a repossession worker sues him for instigating a brawl when mistaking the worker for a car thief.
Eleven years later, Happy works at a supermarket and lives with his only daughter and youngest child Vienna (Sandler), while his four sons Gordie (Friedman), Wayne (Cutosky), Bobby (Schneider), and Terry (Sherry) have moved out and are working to support their father and sister.
Vienna wants to pursue dancing, and her dance teacher recommends enrolling in a four-year ballet school in Paris, which costs $75,000 annually.
CEO of Maxi Energy Drink and the golf league Maxi Golf Frank Manatee (Safdie) approaches Happy and wants him to be the league’s star.
Happy refuses but resumes playing golf with encouragement from John Daly (Daly), wanting to win enough money to put Vienna through ballet school.
Playing his first round since Virginia died, Happy drinks heavily and crashes his golf cart, which gets him fired from his job and into legal trouble.
A jury agrees to remove all charges if he completes an alcohol treatment program and refrains from any physical altercations.
The program’s leader turns out to be Hal L. (Stiller) - the former nursing home caretaker who forced Happy’s grandmother into sweatshop labor.
Vienna and John advise Happy to practice seriously and to join the next Tour Championship, which he does.
A month later, Happy meets old companions, including Tour Championship President Doug Thompson (Dugan), who worries about Maxi Golf’s increasing popularity.
After Happy suggests a competition between the two leagues, Doug proposes a match with the five best players from each league competing against one another.
While I’m glad to see so many former castmates getting together to add another chapter in a comedic story like Happy Gilmore, I have to admit to liking the first half of the flick more than the second.
However, I found it to be an overall enjoyable stroll down memory lane and am glad that a sequel was finally made – even if it was almost 30 years later!
