Happy Gilmore 2
Adam Sandler's latest isn't an eagle or a birdie nor is it a bogey – it’s pretty much on par.
Film Yap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I’ll give “Happy Gilmore 2” (now streaming on Netflix) this – it definitely outdrives “Caddyshack II.”
Adam Sandler returns as our titular golfer. Happy and Virginia (Julie Bowen) have married and had four sons Gordie (Maxwell Jacob Friedman), Bobby (Philip Schneider), Wayne (Ethan Cutkosky) and Terry (Conor Sherry) and a daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) since we last saw them.
Hard times have befallen the Gilmore clan resulting in Happy hanging up his clubs a decade or so ago and opting instead to hit the bottle … hard. Circumstances (namely sending Vienna to an expensive Paris ballet school) dictate that Happy return to the tour, but he must get over his yips first.
With his yips quelled, Happy has other hurdles to handle. The tour is being threatened by the upstart LIV-on-steroids Maxi Golf League, which is the brainchild of bad-breathed businessman Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie).
“Happy Gilmore 2” as directed by Kyle Newacheck (“Murder Mystery”) and scripted by the original flick’s writers Tim Herlihy and Sandler is a nostalgic piece of fan service. As a fan who’s nostalgic for its predecessor, I must say I had a pretty good time. We’re treated to returning characters Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), Hal L. (Ben Stiller) and tour head Doug Thompson (“Happy Gilmore” director Dennis Dugan). There are cameos aplenty from golfers current and of yore, athletes from other sports, television personalities and musicians. Speaking of musicians, Bad Bunny (credited as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) winningly turns up as Happy’s new caddy Oscar Mejias.
This is going to be a short review as I don’t want to give away any jokes or plot points. I now fully understand why Netflix didn’t give critics early access to this title. It’s a tricky one to write about without letting the proverbial cat out of the bag. The long and short of it is this: “Happy Gilmore 2” isn’t as good nor as funny as “Happy Gilmore” (admittedly, my favorite Sandler vehicle), but it’s still plenty good and plenty funny. Fans of Sandler’s and the original won’t be disappointed and should be entertained as the new one doesn’t come up short. It ain’t an eagle or a birdie nor is it a bogey – it’s pretty much on par.