Happy Gilmore 2 is the new comedy sequel to the 1996 hit comedy Happy Gilmore that premiered on Netflix. Directed by Kyle Newacheck and written by Tim Herlihy & Adam Sandler, the film stars Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, and Ben Stiller. Happy Gilmore isn’t done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter’s ballet classes.
I was a big fan of the first movie growing up in the 2000’s. It certainly shaped my kind of humor. It’s a film I remember countlessly playing all the time around family and friends with everyone equally enjoying it. When news of the sequel came about, it felt like Sandler was sitting on a script for this and decided to move forward with it after Carl Weathers’ passing. For better or for worse, I think Sandler and Co. had the best of intentions with making this sequel, but it simply wasn’t needed.
While I remained positive going into this, especially since no screenings were available for the press beforehand, the film’s opening minutes seriously made me question what was going on here. I desperately want to talk about the wild creative decision that was made, but I won’t to avoid spoilers. Don’t be surprised if the whole world knows about it a weeks after its release. It’s an insane way to bring you back to this world 30 years later and nearly diminishes the quality of the first movie. The sequel is fine on its own. Much like other sequels out there, I am going to act like this one doesn’t exist.
By the time the film actually gets going, it does find a creative way to get Gilmore back into golfing. The set up is a bit more unbelievable and unrealistic compared to the first. When the film leans into the characters and story that made the first great, the nostalgia helps keep the movie afloat. Based on how much the film leans into the nostalgia though is whole other situation.
It’s rare to see a comedy sequels decades later. What’s even more rare is seeing how much the sequel tries to redo the same jokes as before, as well as cutting back to scenes from the first movie as though the audience doesn’t remember what happened in the first movie. It’s an interesting decision since Netflix currently has the first movie available to watch. The runtime already exceeds the first’s runtime, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was due to how much the movie cuts back to scenes from the first movie.
Compared to other Happy Madison productions, including on Netflix, this is one of the better ones in terms of not making me cringe. I didn’t find myself laughing all that much. I also didn’t find myself cringing at all. That feels like progress for a Happy Madison movie. There’s a few good chuckles here and there. Just don’t expect to laugh-out-loud like the first one. If you go in blind like I did, the cameos can also provide some surprising amount of fun.
Above all else, the film does have good intentions and a lot of heart. You can tell this is one character Adam Sandler loves playing. I think fans can agree with that. While the movie can be overly cartoonish at times, especially with the third act, Sandler shows that you can always make a comeback at any age. Even though the first movie has a better story and themes, this one still manages to find a way to connect to its viewers on some level in the end.
Perhaps my favorite component of the movie, and I think others would agree on, is the addition of Bad Bunny. In no capacity did I expect to enjoy his character so much. He fully leans into the ridiculousness the movie asks for. He’s also perhaps one of the more original aspects of the movie where so much is placed on nostalgia like its playing a rendition of the greatest hits.
Overall, Happy Gilmore 2 is okay at best. It doesn’t need to exist, but I wasn’t overly upset with its existence either besides the wild creative decision in the beginning. I can honestly understand the divisive reaction to the movie as both pros and cons equally make sense. Don’t expect this to be one of the best movies of the year. If anything, it is nice to see how many people watching this due to how much they loved the first movie.
VERDICT: 2.5/5 (Okay)
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