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‘Happy Gilmore 2’ review: Plenty of laughs and an avalanche of cameos
Adam Sandler's long-awaited sequel "Happy Gilmore 2" is exactly what fans will want, even if it can't hold a candle to the original.
“Happy Gilmore 2,” the newly released Netflix sequel to Adam Sandler’s 1996 golf comedy, is a lot like its star: A little bit flabbier, a little bit shabbier, but still undeniably funny after all these years.
The legacyquel breezes through Happy’s career highlights in a short intro before putting the golfer with the heart of a hockey player back where he started the first film: Broke, angry, and at the end of his rope. Due to a personal tragedy we won’t reveal here, Happy now spends his days working at Stop & Shop, self-medicating with a steady stream of Jack Daniel’s.
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Happy seems content to live out his remaining days as an inveterate alcoholic until he learns that his daughter (real-life daughter Sunny Sandler) has been accepted to an elite ballet program in Europe. Double shifts at Stop & Shop won’t cover 75 grand a year in tuition, so Happy reluctantly begins rebuilding his game.
Rewatching “Happy Gilmore” before diving into the sequel is recommended, as many of the story beats in “Happy Gilmore 2” feature callbacks that are mostly funny and occasionally profound. Part of Happy’s journey back to his old life involves a court-ordered visit not to AA, but HAL (Healing Alkies for Life), a program run by Hal L., the psychotic nursing home orderly from “Happy Gilmore” played by Ben Stiller. Hal isn’t much help, but a fellow alcoholic (Sandler’s other real-life daughter, Sadie) helps him stay focused.
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Sandler’s comedy works best when he’s a scrappy underdog, a trait the actor occasionally lost sight of in films like “Grownups.” As such, the first half of the film — when Happy is falling over drunk on the course, ricochetting shots into his own crotch, and dangling Jon Lovitz from the second story of a driving range — is when “Happy Gilmore 2” is at its best.
Things begin to change when tech whiz Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie) approaches Happy about joining his upstart MAXI Golf Tour, an antidote to the “boring” PGA. As tempting as the money may be, Happy’s loyalty lies with traditional golf, and he allies with a team of real-life golf pros (Bryson Dechambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka) in an exhibition match played on MAXI’s experimental golf course.
On the golf course, the story beats are largely the same as the original. With announcer Verne Lundquist and a dozen real-life golfers looking on, Happy finds himself another caddy who knows nothing about golf (Bad Bunny), seeks the counsel of his former mentor Chubbs Peterson’s son (Lavell Crawford), and even makes peace with his former nemesis, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). Newly sober, he takes beer bongs of Dunkin’ coffee instead of Budweiser, but he’s still a menace to polite society.
There’s no particular moment where “Happy Gilmore 2” noticeably sags, but the film ultimately runs a bit long at almost two hours. And what begins as a number of knowing but well-timed cameos balloons into an overstuffed parade of faces you’ll have to Google once the credits roll.
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In an era where “nepo babies” are looked down upon by the social media commentariat, Sandler’s devotion to his friends (and their offspring) somehow tracks as admirable and authentic. If you were a regular guy who shot to stardom like Sandler, the reasoning goes, wouldn’t you bring your friends along for the ride? Sandman casting his daughters, wife, cousin, mother-in-law, and all of his regular day players (Rob Schneider, Allen Covert, Steve Buscemi, Dan Patrick, Jonathan Loughran, Nick Swardson) works in “Happy Gilmore 2” because they’re all well-suited for their roles.
But Netflix seems to have given Sandler some notes on what cameos will move the needle for a younger generation, giving us appearances from talking heads (Stephen A. Smith), social media influencers (Paige Spiranac) and too many podcasters to count. More of these appearances hit than miss, but there’s no reason we needed a third reaction shot from Bobby Lee or “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans, and late appearances by two superstar musicians don’t move the needle at all.
Sandler even found a role for Kelsey Plum, the real-life wife of his on-screen golf teammate Brooks Koepka. It’s a gratuitous addition, but at least she’s a better performer than her husband and most of the other pros. The only golfer who shows any acting chops at all is Will Zalatoris, who is genuinely funny as Happy’s cardmate at an early tournament.
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All that said, among the 50+ films released by Happy Madison Productions, “Happy Gilmore 2” sits comfortably in the upper tier. The original outdrives it any day of the week, but fans who have stuck with Sandler for three decades will be more than pleased with the effort.
Rating: *** (out of 4)
“Happy Gilmore 2” is streaming on Netflix.
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