Adam Sandler is not one of my favorite actors, and the original Happy Gilmore has never been one of my favorite films. And yet, the newly released Netflix sequel, Happy Gilmore 2, worked for me.
There are spoilers regarding the Happy Gilmore 2 plot below.
Another Sequel?
Arriving 29 years after the original film, Happy Gilmore 2 once again features Sandler as a hockey player who became a successful golfer. However, this is not the same Happy Gilmore that we last saw at the end of the original. This one is an out-of-shape alcoholic and decidedly ex-golfer who continues to spiral after the death of his beloved wife, Virginia.
The movie centers on Happy Gilmore slowly picking himself up with the help of his kids and many of the beloved characters from the first movie. Along the way, he runs into a new nemesis or two, who try to wreak havoc in interesting, sometimes funny ways.
Call Me Skeptical
Movie sequels either succeed or fail. It’s been my experience that they are often big misses for a multitude of reasons. Most of the time, the stories in sequels are either tired rehashes of the original or ones that make no sense. Most sequels also tend to have a supporting cast that’s not as good as the one in the original movie, or worse, there’s a new star.
The first official trailer for Happy Gilmore 2 was released on Netflix’s YouTube channel, as well as on other platforms. My reaction was mixed. On the positive side, it was nice to see so many familiar faces from the original. Besides Sandler, this included Ben Stiller, Christopher McDonald, and Dennis Dugan. Julie Bowen, who was Gilmore’s love interest in the first film, Virginia, was also featured in the clip.
On the negative side, I quickly realized that several other cast members from the first film weren’t included in the trailer for an important reason: they had passed away. This included Carl Weathers, Bob Barker, Joe Flaherty, Richard Kiel, and, as Gilmore’s beloved grandma, Frances Bay.
Like the first film, Happy Gilmore 2 also included real-life golfers. In the trailer, seeing these folks left me flat, although I wanted to know whether the world’s number one player, Scottie Scheffler, could act.
Additionally, I was also unimpressed with the premise of the second film, as it was presented in the trailer. It was clear that something bad had happened in Gilmore’s life, and the sequel would spend a considerable amount of time showing him slowly recovering. This setup is often used in films, and it wasn’t something I was excited to see.
In the end, though I didn’t find Happy Gilmore 2 as inspiring as some of Netflix’s other films, it was a fun ride nonetheless.
Happy Gilmore 2 Mostly Worked
My plan was never to watch Happy Gilmore 2 based solely on my opinion of the trailer. And yet, on a quiet Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I decided to watch it. After all, it’s films like this that Netflix offers to justify its ever-rising monthly subscription price.
Almost immediately, I was surprised by the reason Sandler’s character was in such a bad state. It seems Virginia, who became Gilmore’s beloved wife off-screen, had died. She didn’t just die, however; a golf ball hit by Gilmore at a tournament did her in. The death scene (shown in a flashback) was one of those scenes only someone like Sandler could pull off. It was sad and funny all rolled into one.
Although it was unfortunate that Virginia’s death meant less screen time for Bowen, it set up a much better story than I had envisioned. With her death, Gilmore was left to raise five kids, the oldest of whom was hoping to go to college the following year. The problem? Gilmore was broke. Hence began a journey that saw Gilmore rise, and in doing so, become a better father, family man, and someone with a renewed love of the game of golf.
To get there, viewers had plenty of reasons to laugh, smile, and feel nostalgic throughout the journey. It was great seeing Sandler once again share the screen with people like Stiller and McDonald, as well as with newcomers like Bad Bunny, Benny Safdie, and Haley Joel Osment, who played the Gilmore universe’s new villain. The chemistry between Sandler and his real-life daughter, Sunny, also made for a fascinating story that had a lot of heart. And sure, new cameos by golfers like Scheffler, Jack Nicklaus, Rory McIlroy, and Nelly Korda sometimes felt forced, but they were fun nevertheless. I was also happy to see 86-year-old golf legend Lee Trevino return. And Travis Kelce’s cameo as a goofy waiter was also fun. The nicest addition was a scene near the end of the film when stars from the first who died were remembered through nostalgic clips. Well done.
Not everything about the sequel clicked. For example, though I enjoyed seeing Osment as a bad guy, little about the film’s big crescendo worked for me. The setup featured Gilmore and other real-life golfers competing against non-golfers in a fictional outdoor game called Maxi Golf, an exaggerated form of the game that incorporated elements of extreme sports and mini-golf. These scenes were mostly stupid, even though the payoff was rewarding enough to make them bearable.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Happy Gilmore 2 worked for me, despite my initial skepticism. The sequel successfully avoided the pitfalls of many follow-ups by crafting a fresh, heartfelt story that felt both new and nostalgic. It was a movie that made me laugh, smile, and feel something for the characters again. The film ultimately succeeded because it was more than just a rehash of the original; it was a touching continuation of a beloved character’s journey. It’s definitely a feel-good movie worth watching.
You can stream Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix.
