Happy Gilmore 2

Happy Gilmore 2
Starring Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny
Directed by Kyle Newacheck

Almost thirty years after the original, Adam Sandler reunites the old gang (at least ones still living) for another go-around with one of his most famous characters, Happy Gilmore for a Netflix original movie. Once it was announced, I was wary of it from the start, because a sequel so long after the original almost never works out (with some notable exceptions, such as "Top Gun: Maverick") because the audience has changed, and more often than not the sequels try to live in the nostalgia of the past while ignoring the present. While "Happy Gilmore 2" does that quite often, it also has a charm to it that makes it forgivable. While nowhere near as good as the original, it more than holds its own as a sequel that indeed proved its need to exist.

It's been many years since Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) won his first golfing Tour Championship, and after a string of hardships he decided to retire for good and live with his youngest daughter Vienna (Sunny Sadler), who wishes to be a ballerina. She wants to attend a college in Paris but the price is way too high, and Happy does what he does best - returns to golfing. It's a long uphill climb for the former golf star as he battles age, his own demons, and a world far removed from the past to get there, and he also comes across Frank Manatee (Barry Safdie), the CEO of Maxi Energy Drink who's forming his own style of golf that will make the original game obsolete. After qualifying for the chance to take on the Maxi golfers, Happy finds his stride again and, with the help of his family, friends, and former foes, gives it all he has to make sure golf remains as pure as it's always been.

At almost two hours, "Happy Gilmore 2" was a bit of a challenge to get through, if only because it seemingly included everything shot into the final product. There could've been at least thirty minutes trimmed off for it to be more concise and sleek, with numerous bits lasting way longer than they should've (especially when Happy goes golfing for the first time in awhile and plays with cameo appearances by Eric Andre, Martin Herlihy and Margaret Qualley), but the charm of the movie still shone through. Adam Sandler has always had a steady crew of people with him that've proved they love working together, and it's this love they have for one another and their product that forgives such oversights, because at times it seems like they're having more fun making the movie than we are watching it - which, in turn, makes it more fun for us to watch, like a comedic mobius strip. 

The movie does a great job at encapsulating a classic 90s comedy and makes it appeal to audiences today, as the plot itself seems ripped straight out of that decade. An old, retired player once at the top of his game is brought back to take on a group of young whipper snappers who wish to transform his beloved game for a new generation and keep it pure is as 90s as they come, and "Happy Gilmore 2" pushes headfirst into it. The "anti-party house" so to speak here comes in the form of Frank Manatee's Maxi Energy Drink who wants to re-vitalize the game of golf for the modern era, which basically looks like an extreme version of putt-putt. Barry Safdie plays a great villain and his tete-a-tete with Sandler is as natural as it comes because he also directed Sandler in his best movie role ever, "Uncut Gems." Again, Sandler knows who to call and it's pitch-perfect casting (not to mention how on-the-nose some of the casting choices were, as Sandler brought in his real life wife and two daughters for roles, along with a cameo from his own mother). 

The comedy is fast-paced and hit more than it missed, as even I found myself laughing out loud at moments when I wasn't expecting to. The golfing is as insane as it's always been, with Sandler donning his iconic Bruins jersey and maintaining his volatile nature on the course, but is much nicer this time to his new caddy, played by rapper Bad Bunny. There's numerous callbacks to the original (with flashbacks from the original movie) that allows you to keep pace with what's happening even if you haven't seen the original in years, and as always Sandler has a charm about him that makes the movie very relatable and saccharine sweet, with a touching story about family, overcoming addictions and the pain that comes with loss - but never overshadowing the comedy. They also honor those who's gone on before them which, to my surprise, was actually a lot of people (especially Carl Weathers' Chubbs, who was supposed to be a pivotal role in the film but had to be re-written after his 2024 passing).  

Many people say the MCU is nothing more than a cameo-ridden wasteland, and it seems that director Kyle Newacheck told them to hold his putter as this movie is inundated with cameos from top to bottom. From numerous golfing legends (whom I didn't know) to sports stars (Travis Kelce), to rappers (Eminem) and fellow actors, "Happy Gilmore 2" is chock full of cameos that would make Kevin Feige jealous.

Against all odds, "Happy Gilmore 2" served as a passable sequel that many thought long outlived its expiration date, thanks to Adam Sandler and company delivering what they do best - heartfelt comedy mixed with a desire to make people laugh and not take themselves too seriously.

The Score: B+